Rearrangements
by Fire Bender
Summary: It's been two weeks since the events of "Depths" and Mount Justice hasn't been the same since. Nightwing decides to change up the teams, but will the new teams lead to some unwanted jealousy between teammates? T just in case I'm a violent person
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my second attempt at a Young Justice Fanfiction. I hope those that read "Don't Speak" enjoyed it, and I know that story was really sad. I would like to thank LONGNodaichi for the idea that sparked this story. I really appreciate readers giving me ideas, and I will gladly try and make your thoughts into an enjoyable fanfiction. Enjoy "Rearrangements"**

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**April 4, 14:00. Mount Justice.** Rain pounded against the rocky slopes of the Young Justice headquarters. The clouds draped the sky in dark gray, lightning streaked across the blackened afternoon sky, and thunder echoed down to the neighboring town of Happy Harbor.

The many teens had slowly traipsed around the headquarters barely speaking to one another. The team only trained, ate, slept, and made small talk every once in a while. The halls were restlessly quiet and disturbing. Fortunately things around the planet had been quiet, but still, action needed to be done to reunite a team that felt shattered and broken after the events of a single day.

Nightwing had to do something as leader. Everyone was so distraught and distant, and the team dynamic was beginning to hang by a thread. He called the team into the main hall for a sort of briefing.

Everyone gathered in the briefing room, awaiting Nightwing to distribute orders. It had been two weeks since the death of Artemis, and things at Mount Justice were still uneasy. M'gaan was still coping with the capture of her boyfriend Lagoon Boy, and there was a sense of pain in the entire room. Each team member from Blue Beetle, to Beast Boy wanted to take down Aqualad in the name of revenge.

All the young heroes were silent. The pitter patter of the rain from outside resonated throughout the hall. There was a brief pause before Nightwing had begun to speak. He cleared his throat, "I know things here have been…quiet to say the least, and we're all still coping with the events of a few weeks ago, but there is still work to be done. First order of business, I'm reassigning teams. The groups will now be based on a more specific skill criterion."

Each member looked at one another confused, but still interested in what the leader had decided to do. Nightwing continued, "Now mainly our group has been for recon missions, but in light of recent events, we need to start being slightly more aggressive; only slightly. Batgirl, Robin, Bumblebee, you three will be the new Alpha squad, only for stealth missions."

Batgirl looked down at the young Robin smiling at him. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him close to her in a sisterly manner. Bumblebee walked over to the two bats and threw her arm around Batgirl's shoulder, "This should be fun," she cheered. The three giggled.

Again, Nightwing cleared his voice to continue the briefing, "Our new Beta squad will be Wonder Girl and Super boy. And Gamma squad will be Miss Martian, Beast Boy and Blue Beetle. Mal and I will still be assigning missions, and I may join the squads on specific missions."

Cassie had slowly scooted next to Superboy. He stood firmly, arms crossed, his attention focused on Nightwing. She gently nudged him and then looked down at her feet. He glanced down at her, "Was that you?"

She giggled, "Yeah, I'm just thinking, I'm looking forward to being on a team with you Superboy." Her eyes were locked on her feet.

"I guess it'll be fun," he answered sharply. Connor glanced over a few people over, at his ex-girlfriend M'gaan, who was hugging Beast Boy close to her. She made no contact towards him, though his eyes looked sympathetically towards her.

"You okay Superboy?" Cassie asked softly.

Connor shook his head then looked down at his younger partner, "Yeah I'm fine Wonder Girl."

"Call me Cassie." She blushed and giggled pivoting her left ankle inward and outward.

M'gaan overheard the brief exchange and glared towards the two, and then she focused back towards Nightwing.

"Alpha squad will be sent on an Intel mission in Rhelasia. Since the reunification of the country, there have been diplomatic tensions. You will go to a peace conference being held and gather information on whether these tensions are possibly related to the Light or their new partner. Beta squad, you two will be heading back to Santa Prisca. There are rumors of increased activity and you will have to gather information and only intervene if absolutely necessary. Gamma squad will remain here on call in case something comes up. Dismissed."

The teens dispersed in various directions. "Hey Beetle!" Beast Boy exclaimed, "Want to go play video games?"

"Sounds awesome, man!" he replied back.

Miss Martian stood completely still. She waited for Nightwing to stop talking to Mal. However, she glanced around to see Connor walking away with Cassie extremely close to him. She was rubbing against his arm smiling at him. M'gaan Almost thought they were holding hands. She could even overhear them.

"I'm excited to go to Santa Prisca, I heard it was pretty there, have you ever been there Superboy?" Cassie rambled.

"Um, yeah a few times, it's okay there."

"Well we'll have a good time there right? Get the mission done and it'll be so awesome!"

"Sure, if you say so."

M'gaan scowled slightly. She turned her head sharply when footsteps were heard approaching her. "Are you alright M'gaan?" Nightwing asked softly.

She frowned slightly, "I think I'll be alright. Any news of La'gaan? Anything?"

"Unfortunately no. We're trying our best, but it's hard to find Aqualad underwater. Without Lagoon Boy, we're slightly blind in the ocean. But we'll get him back, don't worry." Nightwing placed his hand on her shoulders, and then walked out of the hall with Mal.

M'gaan stood in the center of the vast room. The pitter patter of rain reverberated, followed by a boom of thunder. While everyone was out on missions, she was home at the base with only a few people left. She sat down and wrapped her hands around her knees and began to rock slightly back and forth. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt more alone now with both Connor and La'gaan away. She could only wait for everyone's missions to be completed, and for everyone to be okay.

She could only wait.

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**This will be a multi-chaptered series so don't feel empty and sad that nothing happened basically. I hope you either subscribe or review and I will try to update whenever I can! - Fire Bender. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so happy that people are enjoying this story so far! Keep the reviews coming and I will keep writing as fast as I can! Tell your friends about this story, and I also write fanfics for The Legend of Korra, so go check those out! Enjoy Chapter 2!**

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**April 5 17:00. Santa Prisca**. The super-cycle soared through the night sky, yet both Connor and Cassie were drenched from the rain upon leaving the cave. "I guess Nightwing should've waited for the rain to stop right?" Cassie giggled nervously. She sat in the back while he drove. He didn't turn around to look at her, he just grunted in acknowledgment to her statement.

"So where are we going to put the super-cycle?" she asked him.

"I'm going to try and fine thick brush that may be able to conceal it. We have to try our best to stay hidden," he answered. His voice was sharp, slightly monotone, and robotic sounding.

"Are you alright Superboy?"

"Yeah I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"You just sound…well, focused."

His slightly turned his head so he could see her out of his periphery. Her back was straight against the back of the seat, and her eyes were staring at her knees, hands placed on her legs, twiddling her thumbs nervously. She looked uncomfortable sitting in the back. "Wonder Girl…I mean, Cassie, are you okay?" his voice was softer and he sounded slightly worried.

Her eyes shot up to see him lightly looking at her. "What?" she asked innocently.

"You seem anxious about something."

"Me? No don't you worry, I'm fine. Just tired," she then proceeded to stretch her arms far behind her and let out a fake yawn.

A small smile came across his face, but he turned around to focus on flying the super-cycle. Cassie's face turned bright red and her cheeks warmed with a strange sensation of emotion. She was embarrassed, and shy around him. She simply had a crush on him.

"We should be there soon, don't worry." He sighed. Cassie nodded.

The super-cycle soared through for another hour or so before Beta squad had reached the actual island of Santa Prisca. The island was decorated with lush green trees that created a dense canopy deep within the forest. "Oh!" Cassie exclaimed pointing in a small opening within the forest, "let's land there!"

Superboy looked at where she had been pointing, and directed the super-cycle downward. The craft landed silently, and then resumed its spherical shape. "You stay here okay Sphere, and stay hidden please" Connor said concerned in a protective tone, gently patting the sphere. The sphere beeped and whizzed around in small circles, acknowledging her master's request.

Superboy and Wonder Girl then proceeded deep into the forest to find out exactly why Nightwing had sent them to an island that has been supposedly out of service for years.

The forest was dense, but the air was refreshing. There was a slight humidity and warmth, but a breeze blew through from the coastline. The island air was fragrant as well. Many flowers speckled the dirt. There were pink lilies and white daffodils, even a few unfamiliar flowers of red and orange color. The two heroes slowly walked through the brush keeping a close eye out for any possible hostiles, but Cassie was too amazed by the beauty of the forest.

Cassie bent down to closely examine some of the flora, and she looked upon them with great fascination. "Superboy, aren't they pretty!" she exclaimed in a childish awe.

Connor had stopped ahead of her, turned to look at the young Wonder Girl kneeling next to a small bed of orange flowers and shrugged his shoulders, "I guess they're nice." He kept walking forward.

Cassie pouted and felt disheartened. She slowly trekked behind him, looking away glumly. She stopped in her tracks. He stopped once he didn't hear footsteps behind him. "What's the matter Cassie?" he asked.

"Why don't you like me?" she asked in response.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your voice sounds so cold when I try to talk to you. It's like you don't even consider me a friend."

"Of course I do, I'm just trying to stay on task with the mission."

"That makes sense, I guess."

He approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "I'll try and ease up a bit okay? I'm sorry."

She looked up at his face and saw that he was smiling at her. Cassie's cheeks became flushed and hot, and then she saw his eyes and stared into the beautiful blue pools that they were.

She quickly looked away and then impulsively dashed ahead quickly. "Wait Cassie! Be careful!" Connor called out to her. He ran as fast as he could to catch up to her. She ran fast, dodging hanging branches and leaves, until her feet got tied up in a vine that had been loosely lying on the dirt.

She grunted as her body flew onto the ground, and thudded. She was unable to break free. The vine tightened its grip around her ankles and Cassie's body began to drag against the dirt. Closer and closer the vine pulled until she could hear growling.

A frightened look struck upon her face as she saw a giant Venus Fly-trap about to devour her. Her strength seemed incomparable to that of the vines, it wasn't a normal fly-trap that occurred in the wild, and it was obviously genetically modified. "Help! Somebody! Please!" she called out helplessly. More vines wrapped around her body, clenching tightly against her small frame.

Superboy heard her cries and darted in the direction of the source. He saw Cassie inches away from the giant plant's mouth and razor sharp teeth. She struggled, but more vines wrapped around her. He bolted towards the plant and jumped high above it. He plummeted down striking the plant at the top of its head. It growled back at him, shooting more vines at Superboy. He dodged the few that he could, jumping in the air once more.

A vine had latched onto his right ankle, and threw him to the ground. He was able to break the vines grip, and proceeded to punch and attack the plant in various manners, to stall, to keep it from eating Wonder Girl.

The fly-trap fought Superboy until he had struck once more on the crown of its head. It whimpered in defeat, crashed against the ground, and Cassie came loose.

She stood up shaken and then ran towards Superboy hugging him tightly. "You saved me Superboy! Thank you!" she cheered.

He returned the hug and gently patted her back, "Of course! We're a team now, and we have to look out for each other."

She smiled at him and nodded in agreement. She gently placed her hand on her stomach feeling queasy. _What is that, _she thought to herself, _my tummy feels funny…maybe it's the butterflies Bumblebee told me about. I think I'm officially crushing on Superboy. And I like it_. Her face gleamed with a bright smile, ignoring the fact she was nearly eaten to death moments ago.

They progressed until they had reached the edge of a cliff. They scanned the area and saw a waterfall and the right below the waterfall, was a factory pumping out smoke. Cassie and Connor looked at one another, both severely worried at the task at hand.

"What are we going to do Superboy?" she asked.

"Well…" he took a deep breath, "First we're going to observe and report back to Nightwing. Then, we may have to take action."

She grinned and then punched a fist into her palm, preparing for the upcoming fight, "I like the sounds of that."

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**These chapters are relatively short, but I hope they're enjoyable nonetheless. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to update because my laptop screen is breaking, and I may need to send it to the company. I'll try to keep on writing though whenever I can! Don't forget to review =) - Fire Bender**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright so I basically wrote Chapter 3 today. I hope you enjoy it! It's action packed and everything so enjoy my little story, that will more than likely become a long-ish story.**

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**April 5. 21:00. Taipei. **Alpha squad consisting of Batgirl, Robin, and Bumblebee had arrived at the Taipei where an important peace conference was about to be held. Their duty was to survey the area and make sure that there were no threats impeding upon this conference.

The three were dropped near the outskirts of the capital where the area was completely empty. No one would be able to see or notice the heroes, considering they were the stealthiest of the bunch. The three scaled buildings and made their way to a large hotel where the conference was about to commence in half an hour.

The sunset still lingered in the Taipei sky, as night had not come to full bloom, yet staying hidden was easy for the Alpha squad. Batgirl and Robin would scale and jump buildings seamlessly like their mentor Batman, while Bumblebee could simply fly through the sky like a speck of dust.

They had arrived at the hotel, and many journalists and news reporters gathered around the main entrance to catch a glimpse of both the former North and South Rhelasian leader. "Alright team here's the plan," Batgirl said, pulling her team into a small huddle, "Robin and I will try and enter the building through a window of a higher floor and make our way to the conference room. There we will both be stationed at two vantage points. Bumblebee, I need you to place this audio device either on a lapel of someone close to the leaders, or anyone near the stage. It will record the conversation so we can further analyze it back at base. This mission is strictly covert; we must avoid contact at all costs. Radio silence will be active until extraction time. The conference lasts maybe only two hours, hopefully less, but extraction will be at midnight, right where we were dropped off. If possible, after the conference we can all meet up on the 20th floor of the hotel, well away from anyone from the conference."

"Sounds good Batgirl," Bumblebee responded firmly.

Each individual nodded their head and then spanned out. Robin and Batgirl aimed their grappling guns towards the higher levels of the hotel. Bumblebee shrank herself to miniscule stature, and fluttered down to the crowd of people. As she flew down, a long black limousine pulled up, and out stepped Lex Luthor.

As soon as the executive stepped out of his vehicle, he was bombarded with questions from many news reporters. Cameras flashed in his face while he wore a confident professional smile. He looked upon the sea of journalists and met eyes with Cat Grant, blonde reporter from GBS. "Ah, Ms. Grant, I'm sure your questions are intelligent enough to evoke an intellectual conversation," he said soothingly to the young reporter approaching her.

Her blue eyes looked widely upon his expression, brought her microphone close to her mouth and replied calmly, "That's very kind of you Mr. Luthor, I'll do my best."

"I'm sure you will."

"So what brings you to Taipei once again?"

"Well as you recall, I was offered the opportunity to act as an independent arbitrator for negotiations between both Rhelasias. I'm simply here to do it all again."

"Do you have any idea as to why there has been a new rise in diplomatic tensions?"

"The causes of the tension between the two leaders is a mystery to me; I suppose we shall have to wait and find out what the debacle is."

"Of course Mr. Luthor. One more question if you don't mind."

"Not at all, go ahead."

"There are rumors that your genetic research laboratory known as Cadmus may be manufacturing weapons through the use of genetic manipulation, would you care to comment?"

Luthor's expression became stoic, "I have nothing to comment on the matter. Now if you'll excuse me Ms. Grant, I have some negotiations to oversee." He pushed away from the young reporter and advanced further towards the entrance.

Bumblebee waited for him to pass through the revolving doorway of the hotel, and as he passed through, she quickly placed the recording device on the back of his suit by the collar. She quickly flew away to avoid being spotted.

Luthor advanced into the conference hall, where chairs were set up for reporters to sit in. He walked down the aisle and made his way towards the two Rhelasian leaders. He shook their hands, and everyone took their seat. The reporters flooded in, bumping into one another with large cameras and sound equipment while shoving to get to the front.

Batgirl crouched behind the banisters of an empty balcony on the left side of the conference room, while Robin paralleled her. They looked at one another, and then focused their attention on the speaker.

Luthor had approached the bench and began speaking eloquently and firmly into the microphone. "I would like to thank you all for covering another important diplomatic conference between the former North and South Rhelasian leaders. For those who do not know who I am, I am Lex Luthor, owner of LexCorp. We were here approxiamately five years discussing reunification of the two Rhelasias. Both General Singh Manh Li and Prime Minister Tseng made an agreement to reunify the broken nation and rule the single country in a dual partnership. However, there have apparently been diplomatic tensions that the two leaders would like to openly and peacefully discuss with one another. I open the floor to General Singh Manh Li first." Luthor gestured his hand towards the General.

The General stood up forcefully. He wore his military uniform dressed with medals. He slammed both palms and the podium and he started to speak loudly. His English was muffled over an accent, but everyone could make out what the General was saying. "The tensions between North Rhelasia and South Rhelasia have been too difficult to completely remove within a time period of five years, and there are always prejudices against Northern Rhelasians. Recently many North Rhelasian teenagers have been disappearing off the streets of major cities and small towns ever since the reunification. I have called for this conference to announce the split of the Rhelasia's once more. Prime Minister Tseng and South Rhelasians cannot be trusted!"

"Now hold on a second General!" Prime Minister interjected standing up quickly, "I object to that heinous accusation. Prejudices against North Rhelasians are not the cause for the disappearance of former North Rhelasians. I urge you to reconsider your decision to split our nation once again."

"No! My mind is made up. Our two ideologies cannot work in ruling one single nation. We thought that the enterprise of LexCorp could bring peace, but I knew you were untrustworthy!"

The two leaders spat back and forth at one another for hours, Tseng trying to convince Li to keep Rhelasia as one single geographic entity. While the two argued, Luthor sat comfortably in his chair wearing a slight smirk.

The conference concluded and quickly before Luthor had left the stage, Bumblebee swooped down silently and retrieved the small recording device on his back. The whole conference was on tape to be reviewed. Batgirl and Robin had left their vantage points quickly to avoid a crowd.

They both climbed the staircases to reach the top floor. When the door to the 20th floor swung open, the two saw Bumblebee standing in front of them, "What took you guys?" she said with a slight sass. Batgirl and Robin smiled at their teammate, and all left the building. They jumped over buildings back to their extraction point, where they waited to be picked up by a transport vessel.

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**April 5. 22:00. Mount Justice. **"Recognized, Kid Flash, B03." The computer announced an individual coming through a Zeta-tube into the base. Wally West walked into the mission room to be greeted by Nightwing.

"It's good to see you Wally," Nightwing said pleasantly, stretching out his hand.

"Good to see you too," the former Kid Flash replied, shaking hands with his best friend.

"What brings you here?"

"We have to talk…about something."

"Wally!" Both boys turned their heads to see M'gaan running to greet her former teammate, but as she approached him, she became slightly sullen, "It's so good to see you. How are you doing?" she asked while gently putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm doing alright Miss M. I've had better days, and they've been hard, but I miss her all the time." Wally answered.

"I know it's tough, and just know we're always here for you. You're still part of the team." M'gaan smiled warmly at him, trying to cheer him up after his recent loss.

"Thanks Megan. I don't mean to be rude, but I have something private that I need to talk to Nightwing about. I'll catch you later okay?"

She nodded, and then walked away, back down a hallway that led to either her room or the kitchen, but she disappeared into the darkness.

"Let's go in here." Nightwing said as he led Wally down a series of halls. They arrived at a bookshelf. Nightwing pulled out a specific book, and the shelf moved revealing a secret room.

"Dude how did you find this place?" Wally asked in amazement.

"Remember when Red Tornado's family came to visit a few years back? Well, found this by accident," Nightwing said with a slight laugh. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "So what's up?"

"First I need to know are we safe, from everyone? It's safe to talk here?" Wally asked concerned.

"No one else knows about this room."

"Okay good. We can't risk letting our secret get out, especially since we're getting deeper in. Have you heard anything from her?"

"Artemis? No, I've been trying to contact her, but communications have been difficult to achieve, even with a secret frequency."

"Anything from Kaldur?"

"Unfortunately no. Wally, don't worry they're going to be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to her, and despite what everyone else thinks, Kaldur is still on our side."

"I know, I just need reassurance that she's safe."

Nightwing put his hand on Wally's shoulder, "Don't worry she is. I'll let you know if I hear anything. You're still more than welcome back here even though…"

"Even though I'm trying to quit the hero gig I know." Wally chuckled.

The two best friends shared a laugh until they heard the intercom activate. "Nightwing to the Mission Room, there is an incoming transmission," a voice echoed.

Both Wally and Nightwing left the secret room and jogged back to the Mission Room where they were met by Miss Martian, Blue Beetle, Mal, and Beast Boy. "What is it?" Nightwing questioned.

The computer screen showed a pixelated face. "Beta squad to cave," Superboy said as his face became clear on the screen.

"Go ahead Beta," Nightwing answered.

"We found the factory and there is some sort of production going on. We've scanned the outskirts. What are our next orders?"

M'gaan looked helplessly at the screen at Connor's face.

"Proceed into the factory to gain further information. Take precaution, and only use force if necessary, cave out."

"Be careful Connor," M'gaan murmured inaudibly.

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**Alright, so I tried to do a sort of split story, like the episodes. But hey! The chapters are getting longer, which means I'm getting into the swing of the story, which is a good thing! Do you like the dual story split? Or should I go back to one team perspective per chapter? **

**Also a sad note, I may have to send my laptop to HP to get my screen fixed on Monday, so I don't know when the next update will be. I'll try and use the other computers in my household, but if I don't update within a few days I apologize!**

**Review anyways =) - Fire Bender**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay everyone! First off I would like to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed and subscribed and all that. I'm getting such positive feedback and it really makes me happy, and makes me want to keep working on this story, so thank you! I'm so sorry that this has taken me a while to publish it, but I've been somewhat busy with stuff but I sped wrote this chapter, and hopefully you'll enjoy it. It definitely is a thrilling one I'll tell you that! Enjoy. **

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**April 5. 22:00. Santa Prisca. **Both Superboy and Wonder Girl were perched on a high branch of a densely leaved tree. They spent the past few hours on surveillance around the mysterious factory randomly situated in the Santa Priscan forest. "So what are we going to do next?" Cassie questioned eagerly.

Connor looked at her sternly, "We're about to do something big."

"Oh! What are we going to do! I hope it's something exciting. It's getting kind of boring just sitting here watching…for hours…in the dark…bored."

"I know, but now we have something important to do, and it can either go terribly wrong, or can be a huge success."

"Okay…"

"Nightwing gave us orders to enter the factory without being spotted and get a closer glimpse at what they're doing in there."

"I'm curious though, I've read some of the old mission files, haven't you been to this factory before?"

"I thought I have, that one was run by a big guy named Bane."

"Probably not big enough for Superboy right," she blushed and giggled nervously.

He slightly smiled, "I'll take that as a compliment. Was that a compliment?"

"Oh it is, trust me. But what were you saying?"

"Ha, alright. Well we found out that there was this manufacturing of something known as Kobra Venom that produced genetically modified freaks basically. The factory was destroyed, at least so I thought."

"Maybe this is a different factory?"

"It's possible it could have been built within the five years that I was last here. I guess we'll have to go find out then. Let's go."

Both heroes leaped down from the trees and scaled the side of the cliff. Lights stationed around the perimeter of the factory illuminated a fair portion of the ground, but Superboy and Wonder Girl remained within the shadows. "I feel like Nightwing," Superboy mumbled.

Wonder Girl giggled at his remark. The carefully snuck behind the fence keeping vigilant watch for patrols, cameras, and searchlights. They hid behind crates and quickly scurried from hiding place. They tracked the perimeter of the factory to find a weak point in the defenses.

The fence surrounding the factory stood twenty feet tall, with barbed tips and from the looks of it, the fence seemed to be electrified; yet it wasn't impenetrable. Wonder Girl and Superboy circled around the back quickly and quietly, and found an unguarded doorway.

Wonder Girl swooped over the fence and Superboy swiftly leaped over with great ease. Both checked their surroundings, making sure the coast was clear. The patrols had not made their way to the back yet. Wonder Girl pulled the door gently to test whether it was open. Locked. Being as quiet as possible, she used her strength to open the door. _Crack_. She pulled it off of its hinges. "What did you do?" Superboy quietly barked.

"Oops…I broke the door, I can fix it though, get in!" she whispered.

Superboy hurried through the doorway, followed by Wonder Girl. Once she had run through the doorway, she carefully replaced the door back on its hinges, maintaining the illusion of a simple locked door.

They had entered a small room that was dimly lit by a single light bulb on the ceiling. "Great," Wonder Girl groaned, "We've broken into a closet."

"We can figure out a way into the factory though, there has to be a vent or something." Superboy said.

"You want me to crawl through a vent?"

"Well I don't think I'm small enough to fit…so yeah you may have to unless…"

"Unless what?"

"There has to be a second door in here. It's just too dark to see. Help me find a door or something."

They both began to feel around the walls for a way out. Superboy turned his head when he heard the sounds of lock tumblers unlatching. "Good job Cassie!" he said, sounding very pleased with her. She blushed once again.

They crept through the doorway to enter a dark hallway. "Which way? Right or left?" Wonder Girl asked softly.

"It'd be a bad idea to split up, since using our comms would be a bad idea," Superboy said. He leaned to the left then towards the right, hoping that his hearing would pick up some sort of movement, "Let's go left."

Quickly, they sprinted down the hallway, making sure that no one was coming their way. The hallway was nearly blackened by darkness, only to be illuminated by a few dimly lit light bulbs. "You'd think they would have brighter lights at this place right?" Wonder Girl joked.

"I guess these people aren't big fans of the light," Superboy replied.

"Well we know one thing; that they don't work for the Light."

Superboy laughed at her remark, "That's one thing we know for sure. Look, I think we're at the end of the hallway."

There was a bright doorway that stood at the end of the seemingly endless dark hall. They quickly ran to the end only to be stopped by their own feet as they passed through the doorway. They looked at the sight before them, and could not believe what they were looking at.

Both Superboy and Wonder Girl stood on a catwalk of a large production room. Then walked over to the railing, and carefully knelt behind it to stay hidden. "What is this place Superboy?" Wonder Girl asked frightened.

"I have no idea Wonder Girl, no idea at all," he answered, his voice echoing voice of concern.

The large room was steel plated, with many catwalks spanning overhead. On the main floor there was a large empty space in the middle of the room, surrounded by test tubes of a decent size. Adults wearing long white lab coats paced around the room carefully examining the mysterious tubes. Guards patrolled the room as well. Superboy leaned forward a few inches to try and get a better look. "There are people in there!" he whispered.

One of the scientists on the main floor looked up in the area where Superboy and Wonder Girl were hidden. His eyes closed slightly in suspicion. "Guards, I want patrols on the catwalks," he ordered.

Superboy's eyes widened, "Time to go." He pulled Cassie's arms and they ran back into the hallways from which they had entered the facility. They sprinted as fast as they could until they were met by two guards with guns.

"We've got company," Wonder Girl stated.

"No kidding, we can take 'em though," he answered with confidence.

Both heroes charged at the two men. They fired their weapons. Wonder Girl blocked their shots with her bracelets while Superboy quickly hit them with a couple quick punches. Easily, they were knocked out. Superboy quickly clapped his hands as if he was removing dust, "Too easy. Let's go, we're not going to stay secret for much longer, and we still have the rest of the factory to check out. C'mon!"

They ran in the opposite direction heading towards another brightened doorway. They entered to see another production room, rather than having a big open space, there were conveyer belts crisscrossed one another sending small vials of a mysterious substance down the belts. The number of scientists in this room was greater than those in the other room.

"We have to get down there and get one of the vials of whatever it is, so it can be analyzed back at base," Superboy ordered.

"Got it! I'll go fly down quickly, and sneak behind the boxes to get some," Wonder Girl said confidently. She swooped off the catwalk before Superboy could tell her otherwise.

Carefully, Wonder Girl crept behind a series of boxes while Superboy watched maintaining his hiding spot.

Wonder Girl carefully crept up to one of the conveyer belts and snatched one of the vials. She crouched besides the belt, and crawled back to behind the boxes. She was focused on the vial in her hand, staring at it with curiosity.

Her focus was concentrated on the contents in the small glass contained. _Thwack_. A metal bar crashed against Cassie's leg. "Ow!" she screamed in pain. She turned quickly to see a patrolman who had snuck up behind her and had crashed the heavy blunt metal object breaking her leg.

"Cassie!" Superboy cried. He jumped down quickly, ran towards her and knocked the guy out with one fell swoop. He scooped Cassie into his arms and ran as fast as he could out of the factory.

"Look Superboy, I got a vial!" she said weakly holding the vial in her hand.

"Good job." He said kindly.

The alarm of the factory went off. "Intruder alert; intruder alert; find them at all costs," said a manly voice over the intercom.

Quickly Superboy ran through the same closet through which they had entered, breaking down the door. He jumped over the barbed electrified fence before the guards could have stopped him. Just as he has leaped over the fence the patrols arrived and open-fire upon the young heroes. They quickly vanished into the forest.

Superboy sprinted to the Sphere while carefully holding Cassie, who held the vial with tender care. He slowed his sprint when they arrived at the Sphere-cycle who had been patiently waiting for them. "Good girl," he said while patting the Sphere.

The cycle opened, and Superboy gently placed Cassie in the back seat, being careful of her broken leg. "Don't worry Cassie, I'll get you home soon," he told her calmly.

"Thanks Superboy, now was the mission a success?" she whimpered.

"I think so, we have a lot to tell Nightwing, so yeah…mission accomplished."

They flew off into the Santa Prisca night heading back to the cave to unveil to everyone just exactly what they had seen and uncovered. Whatever they found, might bring the team just so much closer to figuring out exactly what the Light was planning.

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**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now bad news, I have to send my laptop away for a few days to get the screen fixed since the frame is sort of coming off which is bad. I don't know when I'll be able to update next, but I will try and use the other computers in my house. Review anyways to let me know what you think! - Fire** **Bender**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! I'm honestly so sorry for taking forever to write and upload this chapter. I've been so distracted and tired from work that my creativity has just been shot down by exhaustion. But I stopped making excuses and wrote this for you guys! I hope you enjoy it =)**

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**April 24. 11:00. Mount Justice.** The base computer announced the opening of the back gate where the Supercycle would usually arrive. As Connor flew the craft into the base, those who were patiently waiting for their return rushed to that particular bay.

Alpha squad had arrived hours before Connor and Cassie had even left Santa Prisca, and their mission was a somewhat minor success. As everyone crowded around the Supercycle, Connor said sternly, "Everyone get back please."

The team obeyed and took a few steps back. He stepped out then proceeded to scoop Cassie carefully out from the back, being mindful of her broken leg. He held her bridal style and began walking past everyone. "I need to take her to get some medical treatment." Connor then shot a glance at Nightwing as he passed the leader, "I also have something you may find interesting. I'll meet you in the briefing room."

Nightwing nodded and everyone disbanded. All except M'gaan, while she carefully analyzed Connor's facial expression. His face was soft and looked caring as he gentle smiled towards the broken Wonder Girl. She was limp in his arms, all from exhaustion and pain.

M'gaan had the urge to use her psychic telepathy on him, but she needed to resist. She knew that it was this power used on Connor that resulted in their breakup, and the reason why she thinks he hates her. Everyone had walked away, and finally M'gaan had left as well.

Before she had exited the room, she felt a slight nudge against her backside. She turned curiously to see the Sphere rolling around playfully near her. She giggled, "Hi Sphere. How are you?"

The Sphere responded with a joyful medley of beeps and whizzing sounds. She laughed again then kneeled on the ground next to the round alien tech. The Sphere rolled closely to her while she proceeded to wrap her arms as wide as she could around the sphere's diameter. She lay next to it for an hour or so, hugging the Sphere tightly, pondering her actions, the current situation and her own emotional state of being.

Connor had finally reached the medical bay of Mount Justice. He gently placed her on a bed, careful to not jostle her leg around. "Someone is going to make you feel better Cassie, I promise," he said gently while pushing her bangs away from her face.

She smiled and placed her hand on his. Her touch was shocking to him. It was slightly warm, but the sensation of her skin against his felt mysterious. It was like he could sense her young age and naivety through one simple form of contact. Connor suddenly felt strange. "I have to go, I'll check on you later," he said once more leaving the room.

"Bye Superboy," she whimpered.

"Call me Connor," he whispered. He thought she didn't hear him, but she did.

He walked out to the Briefing Room where he was met by Nightwing, Mal, and Wally West. Wally had decided to hang around for a bit to see how things play out. He and Connor greeted one another with a brotherly hug. "So how did the mission go Superboy?" Nightwing asked.

"It went, moderately well. Aside from injuries, which I'm still surprised happened considering Wonder Girl's super strength, the mission was a success." Connor reported.

"I'll have to take a look into her injury to see how severe it is, and maybe what was the source strong enough to break the bones, let alone the bones in the leg, of a hero with superhuman strength."

"I think she was hit with a metal bar of some sort."

"Maybe a new type of metal alloy that can impact those with such strength," Wally interjected.

"It's possible, and I wouldn't be surprised. This factory was fully operational," Connor started. "At first we had an issue with Wonder Girl almost getting eaten by a Venus fly-trap that was obviously genetically modified. The thing was way bigger than any plant that grows in the wild from what I've seen."

"Did you get a sample of plant tissue?" Nightwing inquired.

"No, but I've got something better." Connor held out a small vial with mysterious purple fluid floating around within the small glass chamber.

"What is it?"

"When we broke into the factory, we first found that there are hostages, and lots of them. They appeared to be teenagers varying between thirteen and eighteen years of age."

"Did you see Lagoon Boy?" Nightwing continued with questions.

A small knot formed in Connor's throat, "No, we didn't have time to effectively inspect each tube with a hostage, but as far as I could see, he wasn't there. He must be being held elsewhere."

"I see, well, continue your mission brief."

"After we found the hostages, we took off into another room, which appeared to be more of a production line, making this stuff." He gestured towards the vial. "I don't know what's in it, but it looks promising as to what the Light is planning."

"You think this factory is connected?"

"I have no doubt about it. The coincidence would be too ridiculous if they weren't related somehow."

"It makes sense though," Nightwing began. "Alpha squad found out some interesting information at the press conference last night. It turns out that there are teenagers in Rhelasia that have been disappearing off the streets, and has caused tensions between the two former countries. I analyzed the conference further, and notice Lex Luthor sitting in the background comfortably at ease with the argument. It seems suspicious."

"It's Luthor, of course it's suspicious."

"Right, but I don't know what more to make of it. It's entirely possible that Luthor is a contributing benefactor and/or member of the Light. But there is no way of knowing. Wally, you're the science whiz, would you be able to take a look at the contents of the vial and see what this stuff really is?"

"Sure thing buddy," Wally chided as he gently took the small vial from Connor's hand. He walked away to go look at the materials within the glass container and see if it was of any use to them.

"What to do now?" Connor asked.

"I'm going to go look at Cassie's leg and see if there is any trace of the metal that was strong enough to break her leg."

"Wait…before you do that, I need to talk to you about Cassie."

"Oh? What about?"

"I think she needs to be switched to Gamma squad."

"Why do you think that? I figured you and her power set are compatible."

"They are, it's just she's very impulsive and nearly endangered the mission multiple times, and it got her hurt."

"Maybe being on a squad with you may help?

"I don't think so, she's still young and has a lot of spunk that she needs to grow out of. I don't think going on missions with me will make her any less reckless."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Switch her with Miss Martian?"

Nightwing's eyes widened in astonishment. He was well aware of him and M'gaan's romantic history. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. Cassie still needs to learn the importance and definition of recon and intelligence missions. She was very eager to go into action, and it led to her getting hurt. As for Miss Martian…well…," he hesitated trying not to let his past cloud his judgment. "It seems a bit unfair that her powers, which could be of greater aid to our missions, are being held here as storage for something else."

"I had her pinned as the leader of Gamma squad."

"Let someone else lead, they need experience and putting the big kids in front of those who want to make a name for them doesn't seem fair."

"Alright. I think I can compromise something like that. For now, you and Miss Martian are the new Beta squad. And I think I have a mission for you already. I know you just got back, but if you're up to it, it's a big one."

"Go for it."

"We found Kaldur's ship, and I want you and Miss Martian to find Lagoon Boy. He needs to be brought home so we can prevent any experimentation on him. Who knows what that stuff you found does. We need him back here as soon as we can. Can you handle that?"

"Yes, I think it's doable."

"Go find Miss M and brief her." Nightwing ordered.

They both split their separate ways. Connor meandered throughout the base trying to find M'gann. A strange sensation of butterflies built up in the pit of his stomach as his search progressed minute by minute yielding no result.

He checked her room first, then the kitchen, and seemingly every other room left in Mount Justice. Finally he went back to where he had arrived earlier from his mission. He stood still in the doorway when he saw her gently holding the Sphere, lovingly.

His mind was blank, his mouth was agape, and he was confused. He didn't know what to think of this peaceful scene. The Sphere was blinking reds and blues, but the whizzing sounds emanating from the Sphere sounded calm and peaceful.

He looked at her face and analyzed it. Her green cheeks were rosy, and her eyes seemed to be shut delicately, but it was soft. He unconsciously smiled at the way her arms were wrapped around the Sphere. It seemed maternal.

He began to step forward towards her to brief M'gaan on whatever they had to do. Closer, step by step, the butterflies fluttered faster in his stomach. For some reason, he was nervous and he had no idea why. Connor still shared feelings for M'gaan, but their past created conflictions within his emotional self. Sometimes he would hate her, and then sometimes he would love her, he found himself experiencing the former. He thought he could love her again, but she was still untrustworthy after what had happened between the two of them.

He adjusted his voice. Her body jolted up away from the Sphere in shock. "Oh Connor," she spoke nervously, "Didn't hear you walk in."

"I've been looking for you M'gaan," he said softly.

"You have?" she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, um…you've been reassigned."

"To where?"

"To Beta squad, with me."

"Oh…okay. What's with Nightwing and all these rearrangements," she giggled.

"Actually, I asked for you to be switched."

"What? Why?"

"Well Cassie is hurt, and I figured you're not being used to your fullest potential."

She scowled slightly, "Well I was under the impression that you thought I was misusing my psychic abilities."

"I was! But…I think that you're still one of the most beneficial members of the team, and Cassie and I…"

"Do you like her?" she interrupted.

"What?" He was caught off guard by her strange question.

"Do you like her?"

"I mean, she's a valued member of the team…"

"But do you like her…like you once liked…me."

"I'm not sure M'gaan. She's young and reckless, but she's funny."

"I understand."

"I don't think you really do though. Yeah she's Cassie, but I still have some feelings for you. I just really need you to understand how badly you hurt me M'gaan. I still can't believe that you violated my trust like that, and probed my mind."

Tears welled up in her eyes, "I am so sorry Connor. I didn't mean for this to get so out of hand. I want help…I want to learn to be a better men."

"I'll help you do that." They both smiled at one another while she wiped the tears dripping down her cheeks.

"So what's our next mission, partner?" She giggled as the word rolled off her tongue.

"It's a big one…we're going to find Lagoon Boy, and we're going to bring him back." Connor said sternly.

Her eyes darted wide open. "We are?"

"Yes, he needs to be back here for the team…and for you."

She smiled at him, stood up and tightly wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you Connor."

He gently rubbed her back comfortingly, knowing that it hurt him terribly to see her with someone else, but it hurt more for her to be unhappy.

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**I'm not sure if a lot of you will be happy with this chapter, but I needed a little transition from mission to mission, but I'll try my best not to take too long with the next installment. - Fire Bender**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back! Sorry it took me so long to update a new chapter. I'll be honest, I lost all drive and ideas to update a new chapter since the show went on hiatus, but huzzah! Our beloved Young Justice is back and is going at full force! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.**

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**April 26. 2:00. Atlantic Ocean. **A blur quickly zoomed over the darkened ocean sky. The Bio-ship piloted by Miss Martian stayed cloaked while the newly formed Beta squad approached the coordinates of their next mission. Both Superboy and Miss Martian patiently approached their target.

Silence. Awkward silence resonating throughout the small vicinity of the Bio-ship.

"Superboy it's alright, we can still work professionally and put our personal relationship to the side," Miss Martian assured calmly to break the tension in the air.

"I know, but that's not what I'm concerned with," he answered with a slight strong intonation.

"Oh…? What seems to be the problem then?"

"You need to stop misusing your powers M'gaan."

"Are you seriously giving me this talk again?"

"It's my concern. I don't want things getting out of hand."

"Is THIS why you switched me with Cassie? So you could babysit me?" M'gaan's tone had escalated quickly.

"No!"

"Then why did you put me here Connor?"

"Because I think your power skillset is valuable for recon missions, and…"

"And what?" M'gaan asked curtly.

Superboy's face softened, "And I still enjoy working with you as a teammate. I know…it sounds cheesy, but I do. Like old times for me I guess."

M'gaan became struck with a slight guilt, but there was a glimpse of comfort and pleasure in her smile when she heard his words. "Connor that's so sweet." She took a deep breath. "Alright, we've reached the coordinates, time to gear up."

The Bio-ship hovered over a small square of the Atlantic, but there was no land in sight. The ocean was vast and seemingly endless. Superboy grabbed a rebreather and stepped into a wetsuit. Miss Martian stood up and extended her arms. She sent herself into a state of deep concentration, where in a matter of seconds she grew gills along her next and her legs had merged into a tail resembling that of a dolphin.

She jumped into ocean followed by Superboy. The Bio-ship remained cloaked in that specific spot. The new Beta squad had swum out into the depths of the ocean. Communicating via psychic-link, the two teammates swam out into the open ocean, searching for their highest priority threat, their former team leader, Kaldur.

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**April 26. 0:00. Mount Justice.** Nightwing carefully analyzed the data brought back by Wonder Girl and Superboy. There were multiple screens up with different statistics and data information analyzing the mystery vial brought back by the former Beta Squad.

He stared at the screens puzzled by the information displayed. Strands of discolored DNA and specific genetic markups were quickly being processed by the computer. Beeping and buzzing sounds whispered through the briefing room, but a rushing _whoosh_ echoed through the cave. "Recognized, Kid Flash, B03" boomed the zeta tube in the cave.

Wally West quietly walked over to Nightwing and stood silently next to the former Robin. An awkward pause between the two as Nightwing barely acknowledged Wally's entrance into the cave. West broke the silence, sternly asking "Any news?"

"Nothing yet, but maybe you can help me with something," Nightwing replied calmly, not turning to look at his best friend.

"What do you need?"

"Superboy and Wonder Girl brought this sample of a mysterious substance from Santa Prisca and the computer can't seem to crack; maybe you can try and figure it out."

Wally stepped closer towards the screen, carefully analyzing the data spanned across the screen. "Well there are some really complex chemicals at work here. The DNA on this screen here on the right is human DNA, but the guanine strands seem to be augmented by the chemical in purple. I don't know the structure but it's definitely not your ordinary sugar molecule."

"Do you think you can break it down?"

"Maybe dude, I need some time to look at it, but we need to talk." He grabbed Nightwing's shoulder and forcibly turned him to face Wally. "Is there anyone else in the cave?"

"No," Nightwing replied, "Everyone on the team is out on a mission, even Mal isn't here."

"Good. So how are you keeping Kaldur in check?" Wally's voice was cold and harsh.

"What do you mean?"

"Can we trust him?"

"Wally, it's Kaldur of course we can." Nightwing tried to ease his friend's suspicions.

"You're not seeing the point; we're putting so much at risk. No. You're putting so much at risk for the sake of the Partner!"

"Wally it's for the sake of the world! I know you're upset that Artemis is out there in danger, but we can trust Aqualad, we have to."

"No Dick…" Nightwing's eyes widened upon hearing his first name. Wally rarely used his first name in conversation, and he was clearly upset.

Wally continued, "You can trust Aqualad all you want. But me, I'm not trusting Kaldur one bit. Stop living in the past. He isn't Aqualad anymore. He's succumbed to his father's legacy. We should just start calling him Black Manta!"

"He's still our friend!"

"Well lately I'm questioning who my friends are now."

"Why are you here Wally?" Nightwing's voice became as cold as Wally's.

"I still want to be involved in the plan. It can work. But I just need you to know that it's extremely risky. I don't want you vesting your trust and resources in one plan that in the slightest second can go completely awry."

"I understand."

"If you want, I'll help crack your chemical compound, but just know we're on thin ice. I don't want to lose anyone. Not my girlfriend and my best-friend."

Nightwing shifted his glance away, towards an empty hallway. He has no idea that things were getting this serious, and he began to think if he is still a credible leader for the team. If Wally was so concerned of just this decision, what else has Nightwing done that could be detrimental to the Team.

* * *

**April 26. 2:33. Atlantic Ocean.** The water was cold, but M'gaan and Connor vigorously swam through the currents. They had to take a break. The two quickly bolted towards the surface to breathe in fresh air. The shot up and gasped for air, taking in the saltiness of the ocean breeze.

_Do you think the coordinates were wrong?_ M'gaan thought, speaking to Connor via psychic link.

_I doubt it. Nightwing is usually good with getting Intel, _Connor replied.

_Shouldn't we have seen any sign of the target by now?_

_I would imagine, but we have to keep looking. Let's continue searching._ M'gaan nodded in agreement. Both dove back into the depths of the Atlantic.

Beta squad continued searching for another thirty minutes when finally their patience was rewarded. The two came upon an idling ship that looked like Kaldur'ahm's.

_Get down_. Superboy ordered psychically. They both darted behind a large rock.

_I'm coming La'gaan_, Miss Martian whispered in her head. She can finally take revenge upon the traitor, and rescue her boyfriend, with a side of vengeful payback.

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**So yeah, I finished this chapter while I was in class. And I am publishing it, while I am in class. An Urban Planning lecture that is 3 hours long is not too thrilling, especially when I have to take a bus to get back to my dorm, but hey that's my Tuesdays at Rutgers! I'll do my best to update, so please bear with me if I'm slow with new chapters, but I have an idea of what's going down! - Fire Bender =) **


	7. Chapter 7

******Alright so I've been super slacking with my story, but it makes me so happy that people are still reading this and subscribing! Also this episode was started October 17, 2012. I just finished it after being inspired by the new episode. Please enjoy!**

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**April 26. 3:16. Atlantic Ocean.** Bright lights were brimming from Kaldur's ship. The ship was not camouflaged in any sort. M'gaan lunged forward towards the ship, using her mermaid tail to propel her forward. Superboy's eyes widened as he quickly reacted to her movement.

He grabbed her tail and pulled her back next to him. '_M'gaan what are you doing!'_ Connor exclaimed telepathically.

'_I'm going to go rescue La'gaan!'_ she answered back.

'_Don't be reckless and rush in against the enemy. That's how he got captured in the first place!'_

'_Then what do you expect me to do?'_

'_We'll go get him…together.'_ M'gaan's eyes shot open in surprise. His voice was so sweet and sincere and caring. She nodded in assurance. The two hid back behind the large rock and intricately worked on a plan to bust into the ship.

'_What I could do is phase through the ship and disguise myself as one of the Manta's and open one of the hatch doors and let you in,_' M'gaan considered.

'_That could work, but it's risky.'_

'_I'm ready to take the risk. Let's go Superboy._' With that, she fazed herself invisible and swam towards the Manta flyer. Superboy carefully swam around the ship, trying his best to not be spotted. Patrols were walking on top of the flyer, and Superboy carefully darted behind rock after rock until he was close enough to the rear of the ship.

One of the guards had jumped to beneath the ship to patrol right by where Superboy had hidden himself. The guard came uncomfortably close. Quietly, Superboy swam behind the guard and knocked him out. He was swift, but other guards had heard some sort of commotion. The two guards on top of the flyer shrugged their shoulders and did another patrol atop the ship. They circled around one more time and one of the guards peered over the ship. He had hoped to see one of his fellow men finishing up a patrol, but the guard was nowhere to be found. One of the guards proceeded to swim down to investigate.

Superboy changed into the guard armor as fast as he could. It maybe took a minute for him to get the armor off the guard. "What's going on over here?" one of the guards asked sharply.

Superboy panicked, he was still hidden behind the rock and had put the helmet as the final touch to the armor. He jolted up from behind the rock, "Sorry, I thought I heard something over hear. Nothing."

"Alright then…carry on."

"Yes sir." The guard swam away and Superboy took a deep sigh of relief. He circled around the ship, and then found a way inside the ship. As he walked onto the ship, one of the men grabbed his shoulder and forcibly spun him around. "You! Why aren't you up top on patrol?" the one guard ordered.

"I was ordered to come back inside. Kaldur'ahm's orders sir," Superboy quickly replied. The guard slowly circled around him, closely examining Superboy.

He adjusted his voice. "Very well. Carry on."

Superboy nodded and proceeded to walk forward down the many hallways of the mysterious ship. '_M'gann, where are you?'_

'_I'm on the upper level of the ship. It's not heavily guarded, but we have company," she replied sternly. 'I'm going to continue looking for La'gaan.'_

'_I'll be there as soon as I can.'_

'_Confirmed.' _Miss Martian floated around the ship phasing through walls, examining the security, looking for any signs of Lagoon Boy.

Her movements suddenly stopped. She had frozen at the sight of her former teammate, Aqualad. '_Superboy, I've found Aqualad. I'm going after him.'_ Her body bolted forward as she pursued him.

Connor's eyes widened under the guard helmet. '_M'gaan wait!' _He propelled himself down the hallways hoping to find M'gaan before she did something extremely reckless.

M'gaan had caught up with Kaldur and found him alone in a hallway. Her body came out of her density shift and gently tapped onto the hallway floor. "Aqualad!" She shouted sternly and angrily.

He slowly turned around. His look was cold and discerning. "Miss Martian. So you want to be part of our partner's new collection. That's fine with me," he snickered.

Her eyes filled with fire. "You'll pay for what you did to my friend!" Her eyes changed to a bright green. She clenched her jaw and snarled at Aqualad. Kaldur assumed a fighting stance, but he quickly he fell to his knees and gripped his head in pain. M'gaan dug deeper into his mind prying every thought he had, every memory they shared, but she made the experience extremely painful and discomforting for the traitor.

Superboy ran as fast as he could, trying to find Miss Martian before anything bad happened. '_M'gaan please stop what you're doing!' _He tried to communicate with her, but the psychic link was down. '_Oh no'_ he thought. He understood what was happening, which made his mission all the more important. He was sprinting now.

Aqualad was gripping his head and screaming in pain. "You deserve this! For betraying us all!" Miss Martian exclaimed furiously.

Footsteps were rushing behind her, but it did not break her concentration. "M'gaan stop!" Connor yelled. She was too deep into her psychic assault on Aqualad.

"Stay out of this Connor" she barked. Aqualad was writhing in pain. The pain felt like sharp nails stabbing his brain, and sharp nails ripping pieces of his head apart. It was the worst pain he had ever experienced. Superboy watched helplessly, trying to figure out a way to stop this torture. He knew that Aqualad was wrong for betraying the team, but M'gaan's actions are out of hand. Thinking quickly he jumped towards Miss Martian and threw and quick punch directly into her temple rendering her unconscious. The psychic link torturing Aqualad had been broken. Quickly Superboy scooped up Miss Martian, letting her limp body fall into his arms. '_You've change M'gaan. You're a monster.'_

Kaldur stood up uneasily, wobbling trying to regain his balance and concentration. No words were said. Aqualad and Superboy exchanged glances. Aqualad nodded, and without hesitation, Superboy jolted down the hallways looking for an escape. Carrying an unconscious Miss Martian, he had found an escape pod in the docking bay. Connor was careful and mindful of the guards.

Swiftly, he hid behind corners and snuck through corridors without making a sound. He threw M'gaan into the pod and sat down at the controls. Soon enough they were streaming through the depths of the ocean on return to Mount Justice.

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**April 26. 10:47. Mount Justice. **"Recognized, Superboy, B04. Miss Martian, B05." The small team had returned from their mission after Zeta-beaming from an outside location. Superboy still carried the unconscious Miss Martian. Quick to her aid came her younger brother. He transformed into a gorilla and carried her off into her room to rest. The entire team came to greet Superboy. Wonder Girl limped towards him with a large brace on her leg. "Good to see you Superboy." She said kindly.

"Thanks Wonder Girl. It's good to be back. How's your leg?" he asked.

"Slowly getting better, but I'll be back soon. I promise."

"That's good to hear." He smiled at her, and she shyly blushed away from him. Amongst the crowd, Nightwing had pushed forward.

"Anything to report?" he questioned sternly.

"Yes, but in private." Superboy replied. Nightwing nodded in acknowledgment. They walked into a small room within the depths of Mount Justice. The doors sealed shut and the two sat down.

"What happened?" Nightwing asked.

"We ran into Aqualad."

Nightwing's eyes widened. "And…?"

"Miss Martian…needs to be put on some sort of probation or something."

"Why?"

"Because she…she mentally tortured Kaldur. She's been abusing her psychic powers to torment who she justifies as being our enemies. They're just innocent people. Even Aqualad doesn't deserve that sort of punishment."

"How long has this been happening?"

"I've only seen it done a few times. She almost killed Aqualad."

"I see. This is serious."

"What do you want to do?" Superboy inquired cautiously.

"She's not allowed to go on any missions. As you suggested, she's now put on probation. Once Wonder Girl is back to full health, you and she will be a team together. Working with a senior member of the team should be good for her. It will give her more field experience, and maturity. What do you think?"

"I think that will work."

Both Nightwing and Superboy shook hands and left the room. The news won't be shared until Miss Martian regained consciousness, but how were they going to break such devastating news to someone who means well, but misunderstands the limitations of her own power?

* * *

**You're probably all thinking "YOU STOLE THIS IDEA FROM THE SHOW!" False. I did not, I came up with this on my own. Then saw the episode (in October) and was pleasantly surprised to see that I have the same or similar thought processes to them. So please no hate comments. Just enjoy the story and I'll try to continue, but I often forget -_-. -Fire Bender**

**Edit: In my original post I noticed a typo. Had to change it! In the process of chapter 8!**


	8. Chapter 8

**So I watched Cornered, and I'm taking some of the story line ideas and meshing it into my own story, but obviously I'm not going to copy the actual Young Justice storyline. That's stealing, and not very creative. I hope you all enjoy the eighth chapter!**

* * *

**April 28. 23:35. PDT. Pacific Ocean. **In the dark depths of the Pacific Ocean, a small manta shaped ship docked into a larger bay area or a larger ship. Steam hissed around the smaller manta flyer connecting with its larger counterpart. Within the connected atrium, a door opened with Kaldur patiently waiting, with two guards closely behind him. He proceeded forward into the hull of the larger ship.

As Kaldur walked down the hall, his posture seemed composed, yet every muscle in his body was tense. Kaldur had been assaulted mentally, and when presented with the opportunity to please his father, to capture two more hostages for the Light and their new partner, he had failed. On the brink of meeting this new partner, Kaldur needed to do everything right. And yet, it seemed at that moment, he had done everything completely wrong.

The two guards had disbanded and left Kaldur to share his disappointment with his father, Black Manta. Only recently reunited with his father, he yearned to construct a strong relationship, while still maintaining the façade put in place by him and Nightwing.

So much was placed on his shoulders, but it was responsibility that he had been accustomed to. He stood before the closed door that separated him from his father. Sliding open exposed a room decorated with shields and masks of various tribes across the world. "Enter my son," echoed a deep voice.

Kaldur'ahm took a deep breath, and then stepped forward into his father's chambers. The door shut behind him. His father was seated behind a deep mahogany desk. "Kaldur'ahm," he said sternly, "do you have anything to report my son?"

Sounds of another deep inhale and exhale followed the silent pause between Black Manta and his son. "Yes father. I do."

"Well go ahead."

"My ship was infiltrated by two operatives of my former team. I did not apprehend them."

"Why is that Kaldur'ahm?"

"One of them, a female, the Martian member of the team had assaulted me mentally."

"What do you mean?"

"She has very powerful telepathic abilities. I have never seen her use them on another living being before. I had assumed her to be too gentle-hearted to do that. But something has changed. She's become more malicious. Had she kept me under her mental control any longer, I would probably have become catatonic."

"Then how did you escape?"

A knot formed in Kaldur's throat. He didn't want to reveal that he had let Superboy and Miss Martian escape without a scratch. He needed a reasonable explanation, but was lying to his father a good idea? "Her teammate had knocked her out, and as I regained my own consciousness, I saw them escaping, but could not catch them fast enough. I am sorry father," Kaldur went down to a knee and bowed his head in shame, "I have failed you."

Black Manta rose from his chair and walked over to his son, placing a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "Rise my son."

Kaldur looked up at his father in slight awe. He stood up.

"Although you did not apprehend the invaders, it seems as though a new prospect has revealed itself."

"What do you mean father?"

"This Martian seems to have powers that the Light and our new partner would appreciate. I think it's time we…persuade her to join us."

"I doubt she will come so easy father."

"Then it seems we will have to figure something out. Do this, and you will soon enough meet the partner the Light has been working with. Soon all your hard work will pay off my son."

"Thank you father."

All of Kaldur's worries seemed to have disappeared. This new task presented before him would be extremely difficult. Despite how eager Miss Martian was to incapacitate Kaldur, she was still a good-natured soul. He needed to play her, and manipulate a series of events that would unfold before him. He needed to play smart. He needed to play like a leader.

* * *

**April 29. 14:55. EDT. Mount Justice. **M'gaan awoke from her unconsciousness, very confused. She sat up in her bed to be greeted by Beast Boy. "M'gaan!" he exclaimed, rushing to give her a hug.

She giggled softly, and rubbed Garfield's back gently. "Hi Gar."

"How are you? How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, just a little woozy. Do you know what happened to me?"

"After your mission, Superboy brought you back to the base. You were unconscious."

"How long have I been unconscious for Gar?"

"You've been out for three days M'gaan."

M'gaan shoved Beast Boy away from her, pushing him to the floor, then sprung out of her bed and shouted, "THREE DAYS?!" Beast Boy nodded with astonishment plastered on his face. She started pacing frantically around the room, waving her arms around rapidly.

"How could I have been unconscious for three days? I can't believe this! The team has probably gone on a decent number of missions by now. I've been so useless the past few days!"

"Actually sis…no one has left the cave since you guys came back. Everything has been quiet since that one mission you went on," Beast Boy said in an assuring tone.

M'gaan turned and looked at him calmly, "Oh, then I guess I haven't missed much. I'm going to go see if I can be any help, now that I'm awake from whatever knocked me out." They started to walk out of her room, until M'gaan stopped in her tracks in bewilderment.

"Hey Gar…" she started to say. Beast Boy turned around to look at her. "You wouldn't happen to know what knocked me out, would you?"

"Sorry sis, Superboy brought you back like that. He said that you were attacked and he rescued you before you could be captured," he answered.

She sighed and acknowledged what he told her. They proceeded to walk out to through the cave. In the main hall, Connor and Cassie were doing some hand to hand combat. Having healed quickly, Cassie was out of her cast and moving swiftly between jabs and kicks.

Out of the corner of his eye, Connor saw M'gaan walk into the room and for the split second of diverted attention, Cassie was able to get a quick punch in the arm that sent him flying a couple of feet. She gasped and ran over to him. "Superboy I'm so sorry! I thought you were paying attention and would've blocked it or something," she bantered frantically.

He rubbed the spot on his arm gently and smiled at her, "It's alright Cassie, I'm fine. That was a pretty good hit you got on me." She giggled at his remark. Then she had noticed Miss Martian walking into the room. She ran towards the Martian.

"M'gaan! You're awake!" Cassie said enthusiastically, hugging her.

"It's good to see you Cassie! I can't believe you're out of your cast. I guess your leg healed so quickly!" M'gaan replied, smiling at the young heroine.

"I guess that's why I'm Wonder Girl." Both girls let out hefty laughs.

"Sorry Cass, but do you know where Nightwing is? I want to talk to him."

Wonder Girl pointed down one of the hallways, "Sure, he's down that way in one of the lab rooms."

"Thanks Cassie," and M'gaan continued on her way, not shooting a single glance at Superboy. Alone, she proceeded down the hallway to talk to Nightwing.

Cassie walked over to Superboy, now on his feet. "Should we get back to training Superboy?" she asked playfully.

"Um…" he hesitated, "Actually can you excuse me for a minute?" He followed M'gaan as she was on her way.

In a small room, Nightwing heard a door open. He had been looking at small pieces of random information, trying to put bits and pieces of who the Light's new partner was. All the team had to work with was breadcrumbs, not solid information. He looked toward the doorway, "Ah, Miss M, glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" he asked.

She rubbed her temple gently, "A little sore, but nothing I can't manage. Look I need to talk to you about something."

"Go ahead."

"I want to go on a mission to save La'gaan. I don't know what happened on the previous mission I went on, but I was so close. I need you to send me out to save him. I was so close, and then something happened, please Nightwing let me go alone."

"I'm sorry Miss M. I'm afraid you're not going on any more missions."

"Okay, fine I can wait until I'm back to full strength, but promise me I can go find him. I know where he is!"

"No M'gaan, I mean you're suspended from going on any missions."

A blank look came across her face, "W-what? Why?"

"There were certainly complications on your last mission, and you've been suspended from missions."

"What happened on my last mission?"

The door opened again and M'gaan turned to see Connor in the doorway. "You happened M'gaan." He said harshly.

"What are you talking about Connor?" she asked him.

"I'm going to let you talk about this on your own," Nightwing said as he walked out.

M'gaan sat down in one of the high seat chairs in the room. "What do you mean I happened? What happened on our mission?" she asked him.

Superboy walked over to her, but left distance in between them, "we both infiltrated the ship, but then you found Aqualad."

"So?"

His voice escalated, "You started torturing him M'gaan! That very thing I warned you about? About mentally abusing and torturing your victims? You were using that on Aqualad!"

"He needed to pay for all that he's done! He's the enemy Connor!"

"It doesn't excuse what you did. You're abusing your power M'gaan!"

"So what happened then…" she tried her best to remain calm.

"I found the two of you, and I knocked you out with a blow to the head. Aqualad let us escape."

"You…you knocked me unconscious?"

"Yes…I had to. You left me no choice."

"Okay fine, you knocked me unconscious. Please don't tell me you're also the reason I can't go on any more missions…"

"M'gaan…I need you to understand…" he tried to reach forward to comfort her. She shot back away from you.

"I can't believe you!" A look of disgust radiated from her face, "I trusted you and you do this to me?!"

"You need to understand what you're doing is wrong! I convinced Nightwing to suspend you so that you can reflect on what you're doing."

"I don't need reflection! I'm needed with the team! I can't believe you'd do this to me Connor!"

"Oh don't you pull that card on me after what you did to me! After all we've been through and you try to tamper with my mind? I am in no way the bad guy here!"

"So I'm a bad guy?"

"I didn't mean it like that M'gaan. Look you need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down. Just leave me alone! I hate you!" she exclaimed loudly, barging out of the room. She ran to her room, tears streaming down her face. As she passed Wonder Girl and Beast Boy she saw them try to follow her. She yelled at them, "Don't follow me! I need to be alone!"

Superboy left the room as well. He turned his head once he felt a hand on his shoulder. Nightwing had crept up behind him and told him, "Don't worry. She'll be fine. You did what's best for the team…and for her."

"I hope so Nightwing." He whispered softly, eyes looking down to his feet, thoughts of shame and betrayal resonating through his mind.

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**So I hope you're liking where the story is going. It's becoming more of an action fanfiction than a romantic one so I hope that doesn't turn you away from reading this. I am finishing up my winter break so the chapters to come may be coming very slowly since I have classes and work. But I'll try my best! Read and review as always =) - Fire Bender **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! I hope you're liking the intensity of the story. It always makes me smile seeing reviews and story alert subscriptions. Keep them coming! I have been doing my best to bust out chapters before the new episodes come out, so it would be fun to see how my story and the actual Young Justice arc correlates. With "The Fix" tomorrow morning I'm sure we're all super excited especially since we had such a great episode last week! Alright, enjoy the chapter.**

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**April 29. 15:05. EDT. Mount Justice.** Moments after M'gaan had passed through the main room, ignoring Beast Boy and Wonder Girl who had tried to help her, Connor slumped into the room. His body looked limped and completely drained of energy. Before he stepped into full view, he took a deep breath and regained his composure of a confident looking Superboy. He approached Cassie slowly. "Sorry Cassie, had to check something quickly, ready to get back to training?" he asked while assuming a fighting stance.

She grinned confidently and nodded. "Ready when you are," she smirked. His face looked blank, but his body language showed that he was prepared for a fight. Wonder Girl charged at him at full speed. He looked ready, but clearly wasn't. No reaction at all. Her punch sent him flying a good couple feet.

Cassie became extremely annoyed. She stomped over to the grounded Superboy. She stood over him, tapping her foot as he rubbed his head. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked in an agitated tone.

Superboy rubbed his forehead, "What do you mean?"

"You're obviously not in the right mindset to train."

"Of course I am."

"Superboy you're not focused at all. You're being dumb."

He couldn't argue that, he wasn't focused at all, and he was being dumb. "You're right Cassie."

She kneeled down and helped him sit upright. "What's bugging you? You can tell me."

He kept silent. His eyes were glued to his feet. Cassie sighed in disappointment.

"It's Miss M isn't it?" Cassie asked softly.

He didn't move, but she knew.

"Look, I get it. You guys have a past relationship, but it's over. Whatever happened between you two wasn't working for your happiness. You need to let her be herself and let her figure out her life alone. She's a big girl; she can take care of herself. You don't need to constantly look out for her. You need to leave yourself time for you, not her. I want you to be happy Connor. You deserve happiness like everyone else." She leaned in and gently pecked a kiss on his cheek. She stood up and walked away.

He gently placed his hand on the spot where she had kissed him. It was warm, but not too affectionate. It was overall…pleasant. He smiled.

Superboy was alone in the vast room. His thoughts were shouting in his mind, but the room echoed of silence. He stayed on the floor for a few minutes, with Cassie's words hitting him, and they were hitting him hard. She was right in every aspect. He spent so much time worrying about M'gaan, that he never felt happy. He was so concerned with what M'gaan was doing he lost focus.

But Cassie didn't know why he was trying so hard to stay on top of M'gaan. She didn't understand what the Martian was capable of. Superboy had bestowed upon himself the responsibility to make sure Miss Martian was in check. If he hadn't knocked her unconscious, Aqualad would just become another victim, and despite what the former teammate had done, no one deserved that punishment.

Superboy took a deep breath, exhaled, and stood up. He walked down the many halls of Mount Justice, and he passed M'gaan's room. He could hear her crying, and he wanted to make her feel better, but she would not want to see him…at all. He kept walking.

M'gaan's sobs were loud, but when anyone even touched the door, she would scream at them to leave. She needed to be alone. She needed to understand Connor's logic, but she couldn't. Something in her mind justified her actions, like it was okay to attack Aqualad.

Her eyes were beginning to hurt from the tears. Slowly they began to dissipate as M'gaan regained her composure. The tears stopped running down her cheeks, and her breathing regained a normal rhythm. Still, she felt uneasy. She felt trapped in her room. She needed to leave the base, to be free.

It was not a good idea to zeta-tube elsewhere. She wanted complete solitude, not a single chance of being followed. _Density shift!_ She exclaimed in her thoughts. Never had she tried it, nor had she ever entertained the idea of phasing through the walls of Mount Justice. It was highly unlikely that the base was lined with tech that could make her stuck in the walls. Why not try it.

She pressed her right hand against the wall of her room. After having taken a deep breath, she let her body relax. Slowly, her hand slipped through the walls and her body leaned closer to the edge. She began to let her whole body phase through the walls. It was difficult to keep her calm state. Nerves were starting to rattle through her limbs. There was a fear that she didn't know about anti-density shift technology, where she would get caught escaping.

Soon she had passed out of her room and was in between solid rock. Her nerves were ravaging her focus. Yet, she tried her best to ignore them, and continued to press forward through the walls. Inch by inch, she slowly progressed forward. Finally she saw the sun reflecting off the ocean water.

It miraculously worked. Despite her doubts, she successfully passed through Mount Justice undetected. Quickly, she glanced around to see if there were any cameras outside the base. None were seen.

She flew off into the forest, letting the air gently streamline against the contours of her body. The wind was gentle and she enjoyed the sensation of flying. She dodged trees and sped her way through the brush, and she somehow ended up at an open beach.

The beach was empty of people. Waves breaking whispered through the salty air. The peachy sand looked too much like powdered sugar. "I've never been here before" she mumbled, "It's so serene." She landed just at the edge of the sand and took her shoes off.

The sand slid gently between her toes. She marveled at the soft sensation. The reflecting particles glistened like significantly small facets of a diamond. It was elegant, and eased M'gaan's mind. For a brief moment she had forgotten and betrayal or neglect. She only felt bliss.

Slowly, she walked toward the flowing water. It was slightly cold to the touch, but refreshing. Standing completely still, she lost herself in complete thought. Her mind had completely cleared of distractions, achieving a soothing state of meditation. M'gaan let herself feel empty and let a void of meditative energy fill her body. It was magnificent.

She remained this way for hours, until the sun had begun to kiss the ocean's horizon. Even though her eyes were closed, she could feel the colors of the sky changing. The warmth of oranges and pinks kissed her cheeks gently.

"Hello M'gaan," a male voice said behind her. Her concentration had snapped. She turned quickly to see Kaldur'ahm standing confidently, ruining her perfect scenery. Before she could move a muscle she heard the cocked sound of a bow.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," he said slyly. She glanced to her left and saw the small bow with an arrow pointed at her head. She tried to identify the figure holding the small weapon. It was a dark haired girl dressed in orange. "I'd like you to meet Tigress, my right hand man, or woman I should say. Now, I think we should talk."

Miss Martian shot him a cold stare, and stood still. She was tense, but helpless and couldn't help comply. She was at his mercy.

* * *

**This may be my first chapter where the whole plot in completely linear, and it's also kind of short (to which I apologize) but once the next episode airs I may take some ideas as to how I shall progress, but I think I have an idea. Keep the reviews and subscriptions coming! I'll do my best to keep working, but since I just started classes I may have a pretty full plate. If you have any comments, suggestions, ideas, etc. feel free to send me a private message. I love criticism. - Fire Bender.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright I've been slacking I'm sorry! But rather than doing readings for class, I wrote this chapter. Granted it may not be the greatest of chapters, but a filler is needed here and there. Enjoy this chapter! Also if you have a twitter you can follow me Nina_ElizaD!**

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**April 29. 19:45. EDT. Happy Harbor**. The sun had almost completely set upon the horizon. Darkness was settling down the shore, and a chilling wind blew through. M'gaan stood completely still. Any movement and an arrow would shoot through her skull, killing her in a swift single blow. Forced to comply and cooperate, she fell to her knees. "What do you think you're doing?" Kaldur barked, "Stand up."

Miss Martian stood up. She could density shift and fly away, but where would she go. No one had known she left Mount Justice, and it wouldn't be easy to lose Kaldur and Tigress. She could be completely surrounded by henchmen and have no idea. She was inevitably trapped. "What do you want with me, traitor?" she asked snidely.

He began to pace around her, slightly sinking in the sand. "Why are you out here all alone M'gaan?"

"None of your business."

"You seem in no hurry to return to Mount Justice, so obviously you're running away from something…but what?"

"Like I said, it's nothing that concerns you."

"On the contrary. It concerns me quite a bit. You wouldn't happen to feel betrayed by your teammates would you?"

Her eyes widened. She did feel betrayed, by Superboy, and even by Nightwing for enforcing Superboy's idea to put her on suspension. "What does it matter to you?" she whimpered.

"Well, I have a proposition for you Miss Martian. Recently, you and Superboy infiltrated my ship in search for your fellow teammate Lagoon Boy, but were unfortunately unsuccessful. What interests me is the strength of your power. You telepathically assaulted my mind, and if Superboy hadn't knocked you unconscious, you may have put me in a catatonic state."

He was right. Superboy prevented her from doing something that could be good, or could have been terrible, but the fact that he intentionally knocked her unconscious was heartbreaking.

"The fact of the matter is," Kaldur continued, "we could use power like yours on our side, on the side of the Light."

"Never!" she barked. "You betrayed us and now you think that I'll betray my team? My friends?"

"And you don't think they've betrayed you?" he said soothingly. "Think about it…isn't it odd that no one has come to find you yet? You have obviously left without telling someone. That's why you haven't tried to escape yet. You would have to explain leaving the base. We've been following you Miss Martian. We know that you snuck out using your Martian powers. You can't hide anything from me."

He was completely right. "What do I have to gain if I join you?" she asked sternly.

Kaldur shot a glance at Tigress, who looked at him disconcertingly, and then he looked back towards Miss Martian. "You will be appreciated and respected. You won't have to hold anything back. You will be able to reach your full potential. Everything you fight for is not as it seems. You're missing key pieces of information about whom and what you're fighting for. You're not trusted." He nodded, and Tigress lowered the weapon targeted at M'gaan's head.

She didn't flinch or attempt escape. Kaldur's words seemed so appealing to her. Given the light of recent events, if she had never telepathically assaulted her former companion, she wouldn't be in this situation. But M'gaan reflected on that particular instance. It was so easy for her to do it. She didn't hold anything back, and didn't feel any remorse at all. She wanted to do it.

She was torn between two personalities. Her true nature of wanting to fight for justice was at war with this new evil maturing personality, that it felt good to hurt people. She had two options available to her. She could turn against her friends and work for the Light and truly develop this new evil identity, or she could work as a self-enforced double agent. She could prove to her team just how truly valuable she is, and that suspending her from missions was the worst possible thing they could have done.

'_I will just have to see how this plays out. I have to prove myself. I need my respect back_. _I'll show them all_.' She thought to herself.

"Fine, you win. I'll join you." She stated calmly.

"Excellent, now if you'll head this way." He directed, extending an arm to a rising manta flyer. A ramp extended and Miss Martian boarded the ship. Momentarily, Kaldur stood behind to consult Tigress.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she strongly stated.

"It was the only way to maintain our cover. If I had disobeyed my father, it could have created…complications." He replied.

"How will we tell Nightwing?"

"We'll have to arrange an unexpected rendez-vous to reveal the news."

"I have to know though…why didn't you reveal who I was and our true intentions?"

"Miss Martian is fragile, I don't think any more feelings of betrayal would do her any good, or help our cause at all."

"And what exactly is our cause Kaldur?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out..." They both proceeded to walk onto the manta flyer as night had fully set upon Happy Harbor. The ship had descended into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, and Miss Martian would now have completely abandoned her teammates. She was a deserter.

* * *

**April 30. 2:35. EDT. Mount Justice.** Superboy was unable to sleep. The base was dimly lit, and dead silent. His guilt fueled his insomnia. He tried to justify his actions, and even though he could rationalize punching M'gaan in the head, it still felt wrong. He betrayed her trust, and essentially ruined her. He understood how important the team is to her, and with one fell swoop, he took it all away.

He wandered through the halls of the base, just thinking. Multiple times had he passed her room, and yearned to go inside to properly apologize. How would she react? Would she accept and understand the reasoning behind his actions or would she irrationally lash out and shut him out?

He walked into the weight room of the base, and started throwing jabs at a punching bag. A couple blows and the seams cracked open, letting the beans flow out. He unlatched the chains, allowing the bag to thud to the ground. He walked over to the utility closet, grabbed another bag, hooked it on and pounded away.

It wasn't long until he had gone through three punching bags. The utility closet was empty now. He sat himself in the sea of beads that were spread across the floor. He lay on his back staring at the ceiling. "Ahem." He sat up when he heard a feminine voice. He looked up to see Cassie leaning in the doorway in her pajamas.

"What are you doing up?" she asked playfully.

"I-I couldn't sleep," he stuttered slightly.

"Mind if I keep you company?"

"No go ahead."

She walked over and sat next to him. She giggled.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You made quite a mess here. You better clean it up before everyone wakes up."

"Yeah, I guess I should." Awkward silence. They sat in a brightly lit exercise facility, in the middle of the room, not even looking at one another. Cassie twiddled her thumbs. After a while she turned towards him. "Okay this is ridiculous!" she exclaimed, "You need to stop blaming yourself for other people's actions! You're not a babysitter Connor! You're just you, and you should only be responsible for yourself."

He looked at her in shock. He couldn't believe that someone who was biologically six years younger than him was so mature and right about him. "You're right Cassie. About everything." He sighed.

"Look Connor, I like you. I think you're a great fighter, and really sweet, but you need to stop worrying about other people." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight Connor, try to get some sleep, okay?"

He looked at her in awe, and watched her walk away. She was right, and he was completely amazed. When Superboy first met Wonder Girl, she was bubbly and impulsive. Now she has matured so quickly. It was impressive.

Although she has displayed romantic interest, he still unfortunately had feelings for Miss Martian, and although she was quick to rebound to Lagoon Boy, he still cared. There was too big of an age difference between the two, despite physiologically appearing sixteen years old, she is too young for him. He can't continue to lead her on, in hopes of romantic interest.

Besides, inter-team relationships barely work. Things have changed on the team since M'gaan and Connor were together. Mal and Karen weren't a prime example. Even M'gaan and La'gaan had kinks to work out.

He let out a deep sigh. As sweet as Cassie is for caring so deeply about him, everything that has happened in the past few days is his responsibility. He has to take responsibility for M'gaan's actions, since he still wants to be a part of her life, whether he wants to publicly admit it or not. He has to clean up everything that is going on.

He stood up and walked out of the weight room. The base was still fairly dark, but he managed his way through the lit hallway. He walked past Cassie's quarters and even stopped for a few moments. He contemplated knocking and being honest with her, but rather he chose to wait until morning to explain everything to her. She has a right to know everything after all the support she has given him.

He continued walking until he reached M'gaan's door. It was late, but if he had put this off until later, the guilt would tear him inside. It was gut-wrenchingly painful as it. He knocked on the door. "M'gaan…I don't know if you're sleeping, but can we talk please? It's important, and it can't wait until morning."

No response. He knocked again, slightly louder.

Nothing. He debated walking away, but something felt wrong. She was a light sleeper, and would have at least responded with a gargled half-asleep groan. He pushed the door slightly ajar. "M'gaan?" he whispered.

The light in her room was still on, and he stepped into the room completely. The bed was empty. His eyes widened, and he felt his stomach turn upside-down. '_She never left her room_' he thought. He became extremely worried. M'gaan was missing.

He quickly ran to the control room and fiercely typed on the keypad, sending a call to Nightwing who had spent the night in Bludhaven. A large screen popped up, "Superboy, what's the problem?" Nightwing answered.

"M'gaan is missing," Superboy said sternly.

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**Honestly, writing this chapter was tough since I didn't want to be too mushy and I want it to make sense. If you hate this chapter I totally understand, because it was difficult to write. I'll try to make the next one way more action-y! Please review! - Fire Bender =)**


	11. Chapter 11

**So to apologize for the terrible tenth chapter I published recently, I hurried to write the next installment! One because I hated that chapter, and two, I really don't want to study for my exams. On the bright side, I loved writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it! Also, I outlined the exact plot line of my story and it's intense and exciting so I can't wait to write it out for you all! Enjoy!**

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**April 30. 7:42. EDT. Mount Justice.** Sunrise had peeked through the few windows of the base. Members of the team started to sleepily creep into the main hall. Beast Boy slumped through, still in his pajamas rubbing his eyes. He looked to see Superboy and Nightwing standing in the middle on the room, staring at multiple video screens. "What's going on guys?" he asked in a raspy voice.

Neither of them answered him. Beast Boy slowly dragged his way towards them. Soon Blue Beetle, Wonder Girl and Mal walked into the main hall, as Impulse quickly sped through. "Uh guys?" Beast Boy said as he approached Superboy and Nightwing.

They ignored him, as well as everyone else walking in. "Earth to Superboy or Nightwing? Hello?" He looked to see that they were watching security footage of the base.

"M'gaan is missing," Superboy finally stated coldly. Beast Boy, as well as everyone else gasped.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Beast Boy asked innocently, but frightened.

"She isn't in her room, and no one has seen her leave the base. The computer hasn't notified any entry or exit. She isn't here though. We've been watching security footage for the past few hours," Superboy informed.

"The past few hours?!" everyone exclaimed loudly.

"Yes. We have to find her."

Nightwing pulled up a side screen. "Nightwing to Robin, Batgirl and Bumblebee. Return back to the cave immediately, we have a situation here," Nightwing said sternly.

"Acknowledged, Robin and I will zeta beam to cave, ETA three minutes," Batgirl replied over the com system.

"I'll be there in five," Bumblebee replied.

"Understood, Nightwing out." He closed the side screen, and continued analyzing the security footage. "We unfortunately cannot see inside her room so it's impossible to know what exactly happened to her," he continued, "Suit up everyone."

Everyone ran back to their quarters, grabbed their uniforms and hustled back into the main hall.

"Recognized, Robin B20, Batgirl B16." The computer announced. Quickly Batgirl and Robin ran towards Nightwing.

"That was faster than three minutes. I'm impressed," Nightwing said jokingly.

"I try my best," Batgirl replied, with a playful smirk.

A few minutes passed, and the hall lit up from an incoming zeta beam. "Recognized, Bumblebee, B17."

"Good we're all here, now listen up," Nightwing announced. "Miss Martian is missing. There is no security footage that would show her walking around the base after she went into her room around three in the afternoon. She was reported to have been there the whole day. We're going to split up into squads to search for her within a five mile radius. I want Superboy and Wonder Girl to head west into the woods towards town. Robin, you and Beast Boy will track along the coastline. Blue Beetle and Impulse will search north and Bumblebee and Mal will take the Sphere and keep an aerial lookout. Batgirl, you're with me here in the cave. Hopefully she hasn't gone far. Good luck everyone."

Within seconds, the search parties rushed out in a hurry to find their missing teammate. The cave was empty. Batgirl inched slightly closer to Nightwing, with a puzzled look on her face. "Why do you need me in here? I'd probably be of better assistance outside," she asked.

"I need a second pair of eyes to maybe help me figure out what happened to Miss M," he answered.

"You just like having me around, don't you Grayson?" she giggled.

He turned and smiled at her, "Possibly. Don't want everyone on the team to know that though."

"You're not embarrassed of me are you Nightwing," she asked playfully walking her fingers up his chest.

"Not at all." He grinned charmingly as her face inched closer to his. Both smiled as their lips nearly touched. He adjusted his voice, "we should get to work though." He turned and started walking down a hallway, "Let's go check her room." She smiled, watching him walk a few paces before she followed.

* * *

**April 30. 12:32. EDT. Caribbean Sea.** The manta flyer slowly cut through the ocean currents. Aboard, Kaldur and Tigress escorted M'gaan to the chambers of Black Manta. Her wrists were cuffed, despite voluntarily stepping onto the vessel.

Black Manta's helmet was extremely intimidating. His red eyes glowed a deep but illuminated red. "Father, I brought you Miss Martian as you requested," Kaldur'ahm announced.

"Excellent work my son; both of you now leave us," Black Manta instructed. Kaldur and Tigress exited his chambers, leaving M'gaan and Black Manta alone for an interesting conversation to ensue.

She stood before him, hands cuffed. He sat in a large, black leather office chair and although he had the option of reclining and appearing more intimidating than he already was, Black Manta elected to sit upright, gently resting his forearms on a mahogany desk, hands clasped together.

"What's the point of having me handcuffed?" M'gaan asked rudely.

"It seems preposterous, I understand. But the fact that you have not used your Martian powers to escape shows that you don't mind being held here," he replied.

"Why am I being held here?"

"No one is holding you here Martian, you came of your own freewill."

"I suppose you have a point. What do you want with me?"

"You're unlike your friends, those who fight against the Light. You are…unappreciated. Your powers can be used for a greater cause."

"What are you talking about?"

"When you encountered my son on his vessel recently, he reported to me that you attacked him in a way that I find to be of use. Your powers can be put to…a greater use."

"I'm listening…" There was a loud metallic bang. Her handcuffs dropped to the ground. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip. Her interest was piqued.

"The Light has an appreciation for your skill set. We feel as though you're not respected. You deserve more Martian. You are powerful, and should be treated as such."

"I have an ultimatum though."

"What might that be?"

"I demand the release of one of my team…former teammate; the Atlantean that goes by the name Lagoon Boy."

"I understand who you are referring to. Unfortunately I cannot comply. He is not under my…jurisdiction. I believe he is under the care of the Light's partner."

"Who is this partner?"

"Soon you will learn, but you must earn my trust. You will betray your teammates, and prove your loyalty to me, and the Light."

"What do you ask of me?"

He extended his arm and held a small disc in his palm. "Take this, and in your team's computer."

"What is it?"

"A virus."

"What good will that do? Mess with their files?"

"In some respects, yes."

She reached out and took the disc from his hand and placed it in her pocket, "You've got a deal Manta."

"Excellent. I have high hopes for you Martian, as does the Light. You are dismissed." She walked out of his chambers. Kaldur and Tigress were standing by the doorway waiting for her. She closed the door behind her.

"It's time to go pay a visit to Mount Justice," she said in a deepened voice, holding the disc at eye level.

* * *

**April 30. 12:40. EDT. Mount Justice.** Nightwing and Batgirl closely examined every inch of M'gaan's room. There was no sign of any intrusion, or any sign of a struggle. Batgirl was walking along the walls, with her hand tracing the rock. She then paused in thought, "Nightwing…" she said. He turned towards her.

"Is it possible that she density shifted through the walls without the computer recognizing anyone leaving the cave?"

"That would make the most sense. I didn't even consider that an option." He said, somewhat dumbfounded by this misstep in logic.

"I guess it is a good thing you kept me around, isn't it?" she playfully nudged him.

"I guess it is," he smiled at her warmly, "I'm going to send out a message to the search teams to update them."

"I'll wait here, in case she decides to come back the same way she left."

Nightwing walked out of the room and headed to the main hall.

Several miles outside the base, Superboy and Wonder Girl walked down a road heading for the town center of the neighboring Happy Harbor. Superboy kept his hands in his pocket while Wonder Girl kicked pebbles along. The sky was a bright blue with a few clouds wisped along.

There was very little noise. The sounds of birds chirping in the trees along the road created a peaceful scene. Still, the awkward silence between Cassie and Connor was louder than the sounds of nature. Cassie kept glancing over at him, hoping that some form of conversation would start up.

Minutes passed and no words at all. "Do you think we'll be out here all day?" she asked softly. The silence was killing her. She needed to say something.

"Who knows." He answered sounding dull and disinterested.

"What do you think happened to her?"

"Can't say."

"Do you think we'll find her?"

"Doubt it."

Cassie stopped dead in her tracks. It took Connor a few steps until he realized that she had halted completely. "What's the matter?" he asked.

She took a few deep breaths before answering him. "You."

"What are you talking about?"

"You sound like you don't care about anything at all! Yesterday you were worried and no it's like you couldn't care less about what happened to M'gaan! Can't you find an equilibrium or something like that?"

"You don't understand…"

"Obviously I don't because you refuse to tell anyone anything! We're teammates. We have to be honest with each other." She walked up to him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder as a comforting gesture.

He let out a big sigh. "You're right. Fine…well here it goes. I'm extremely worried about M'gaan. We've been through so much together over the past few years, and it's become tough to be without her. But she's changed in these past few years too."

"How so?"

"Well she's matured into her powers, but she's been using them for all the wrong reasons. She uses them to torture people or her victims psychically. She rips through the minds and tears their psyches apart, basically putting them into a catatonic state. On our previous mission, she tried to do that to Aqualad, but no one deserves that, not even him. So I was the one who knocked her unconscious, and I made it so she can't go on any missions, at least until she learns to use her powers responsibly. I'm probably the reason why she's missing. She probably hates me."

"You can't blame yourself for doing what you had to do."

"Thanks Cass, I appreciate everything you've done for me, especially over the past few days."

"It's what friends are for."

"Exactly. And this may sound rude and immature, but I think that's how we should stay. As friends. I still have feelings for M'gaan, and you're sweet, but I'm not right for you."

"I understand." She smiled warmly at him. They continued walking down the road towards the town.

Just a few miles south, Robin and Beast Boy were tracing along the beach hopefully to catch a trace of Miss Martian. In the form of a bloodhound, Beast Boy sniffed the ground the best he could, trying his best not to inhale any sand particles. As he sniffed around, Robin closely followed while frequently glancing at his holographic computer to hopefully find any trace of DNA.

"Nightwing to all squads. Report." Robin placed his fingers close to his ear, and pressed a button to activate his com-link. "Beast boy and I haven't found anything yet, but we still have a ways of coast to check."

"Keep going, I'll radio back when it's time to rendez-vous."

"Acknowledged."

They proceeded down the coastline, hoping to pick something up; hoping to find a clue of some sort that wouldn't render their search attempts completely pointless.

After about a half hour later, Beast Boy picked up a scent trail. His dog-head perked up, and his tail began to wag quicker. Suddenly, he bolted forward down the beach. Robin quickly followed his teammate. Beast Boy hurried to a small patch of sand and sat next to the source of the scent. Robin bent down and closely examined where Beast Boy had sat himself.

In the corner of his eye, Robin saw a glimmer of reflected sunlight. He reached down and picked up a strand of red hair. Beast Boy transformed back into his human form. "Did we find something?" he asked, extremely intrigued.

"Possibly," Robin replied. He carefully held the strand as his computer analyzed the composition of this evidence. "We found a strand of Miss Martian's hair!" he then exclaimed.

"That's great!" Beast Boy was ecstatic. He jumped up and down in excitement. Robin pressed the button of his com-link. "Robin to Nightwing, Beast Boy and I found a piece of Miss Martian's hair."

"Good work you two, continue searching for any more clues that can help us find her. Nightwing out."

Back at the base, Nightwing stood in front of the computer quickly typing and looking at multiple screens. His attention was drawn directly to the screens. He was alone for the most part. Little could he have known that Miss Martian used her density shift ability to faze through the cave walls, like she had done before.

Quietly, she flew behind Nightwing and made herself visible. "Sorry Nightwing," she said snidely. He quickly turned around, but before he could react, she lifted him off the ground several feet and then slammed him back down. He was unconscious.

She gently placed herself on the ground and walked towards the computer. She inserted the disc that Black Manta had given her, typed a few things, ejected the disc and was on her way. Nightwing laid there on his stomach, limp on the floor. Soon after, Batgirl came walking into the main hall.

"Nightwing, I heard a loud thud. Is everything alright?" she then gasped loudly and ran over to him. She flipped him to his back and quickly ran to the computer. "Batgirl to all squads, return to the cave immediately. Nightwing's been attacked," she announced over the com system.

She ran back over to Nightwing, placed her ears by his face to check his breathing. She placed her mouth on his and proceeded to give him cardiopulmonary resuscitation. She performed CPR for a minute, then sat on the floor and gently placed his head on her lap, waiting for the rest of the team to return. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," she whispered.

* * *

**So basically I threw Nightwing/Batgirl in there because I can, and I ship them too. If you don't like it, I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist myself with this chapter, I had too much fun writing it. I do have an awesome plan for the story so please subscribe, review, send me private messages, all that fun stuff! I will try and work on chapter 12 if I can, but I have a midterm next week, so I don't know how long it will be. - Fire Bender**


	12. Chapter 12

**So I've been bad, and neglecting my story, but it's all school's fault! I have too much homework and studying. I finally decided to be a bad student and write this chapter. I really hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

**April 30. 18:15. EDT. Caribbean Sea.** M'gaan swam through the ocean currents with a mermaid-like tail propelling her. She felt odd returning back to who she has indefinitely determined to be, her new boss. The water had become colder the deeper she dove, and the lack of sunlight warming the surface did not help in temperature control. Yet, after nearly swimming for hours, she found herself back at the Manta Flyer, stationed relatively in the same position when she had left for her mission.

She density shifted through the ship's hull, her legs reforming and gills receding. Aqualad and Tigress met her upon her re-entry. "Did everything go as planned?" Kaldur'ahm inquired.

"Yes, I uploaded the material on the disc," she replied obediently.

"Good, I shall share the news with my father. You can go to your quarters and await further orders."

"Alright. I just have a question."

"Go ahead."

"What was on the disc you had me upload?"

"In due time you'll find out. Just go to you quarters, and all will be unveiled soon."

M'gaan nodded, and walked away, leaving Aqualad and Tigress alone in the hull. She was gone. "How do you think we'll break the news to him?" Tigress asked, extremely concerned.

"We'll get to that point when it comes, but right now we need to keep her unaware of who you really are, and why we are really here," Aqualad answered.

"Nightwing isn't going to like that."

"I know he isn't, but we're used to dealing with tight situations. We'll figure this out. I'm going to my father's quarters to bring him the good news."

The two dispersed. Aqualad walked through the many hallways that comprised the Manta Flyer. He passed many guards on the way, most of which politely greeted him. To each greeting, he nodded respectfully. After a couple of minutes of walking he arrived to where Black Manta spent a majority of the time.

Three knocks. "Enter," bellowed the voice from within. Kaldur'ahm cracked the door open, and then opened it fully. "Ah Kaldur'ahm, enter my son."

Kaldur closed the door behind him and walked further towards his father.

"Do you have anything to report?"

"Yes father. Miss Martian returned from her mission." Kaldur answered in an orderly demeanor.

"And was she successful?"

"Yes, she did exactly what was asked."

"It appears as she may be a trustworthy asset after all. I'm curious as to how her teammates will accept her defection to the Light. As for you my son, it is time that you become more involved in the Light's plans. I think you are ready to meet our new partner."

Aqualad's eyes widened. Finally his deep-cover mission may pay off.

"Come with me son."

Black Manta stood up from his desk, and walked out of the door. Kaldur followed. They walked through many corridors, until they reached a part of the ship that was nearly deserted. Aqualad realized that he had never actually ventured to this part of the Manta Flyer.

Black Manta pushed a large, dark door open, which appeared to lead to a completely darkened room. They both walked in, and then the room became illuminated by multiple large screens. Aqualad looked upon the faces of the screen: Lex Luthor, Vandal Savage, Queen Bee, Clarion, Brain, Ra's al Ghul, and an unknown seventh member.

"Greetings young Kaldur'ahm," bellowed Vandal Savage, "We have decided that it is time that you become a bigger part in our plans. I would like to introduce you to the Reach Ambassador."

Kaldur looked directly at the alien being on the screen, and the alien smiled kindly back at him. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm sure you will help execute our plans flawlessly."

"And what might those plans be?" Aqualad asked.

"In due time you will learn everything, but for now we want to welcome you to our ranks," Vandal Savage added, "You are dismissed Kaldur'ahm. Black Manta, a word."

Kaldur'ahm left the room, but once he left, he tried to overhear the conversation from within. Unfortunately the door was too thick.

"Is everything scheduled for the public release tomorrow?" Black Manta inquired

"Yes, we have the speeches prepped and the public is unsuspecting," Savage answered.

"Excellent. All is going according to plan."

"Hopefully the people of Earth will be eager to accept the offer we have ready for them," the Reach ambassador added.

"Don't worry ambassador," Black Manta assured, "the people of Earth will believe anything when given a push in the right direction."

* * *

**April 30. 17:44. EDT. Mount Justice.** Batgirl waited patiently in the middle of the room for everyone to return. Nightwing appeared to still be unconscious. She gently brushed his fallen hair off his face. Suddenly, the cave echoed with the computer announcing the return of the entire team. Everyone hurried in.

"Batgirl, what happened?" Robin asked.

"I'm not sure. We'll have to check the security feed, but Nightwing and I were scoping out M'gaan's room. We figured out how she left, and then Nightwing went to go report to the squads, while I stayed behind. He radioed out, and then I heard a loud thud. I came out to see him unconscious. Mal, check the feed." Batgirl explained.

"Got it," Mal acknowledged.

While Mal jogged over to the computer controls, Nightwing groaned as he regained consciousness. Batgirl helped him sit up, while he grabbed his stomach. The team crowded around him, to check to see if their leader was alright.

"I've pulled up the feed queued up after everyone had left." Mal announced. Everyone shuffled over to the computer. They watched Nightwing and Batgirl walk off screen. Mal had fast forwarded until Nightwing reappeared on screen. The cave was silent with anxiety.

The silence was broken by unison gasping. It seemed difficult to believe; that a former teammate would do something to this degree of treachery. "I can't watch this," Connor said, turning and walking down the halls to his quarters.

Cassie twitched and tried to follow him. Someone held her back. She turned to see Blue Beetle, "Let him go," he sighed. She wanted to comfort him, but Blue was right, he needed to process this.

"Why would she do this?" Beast Boy cried out, holding back a rush of tears.

"I don't know," Nightwing said coldly, "But as of now, Miss Martian is no longer a member of our team, and should be regarded as dangerous."

"What is she putting in the computer?" Mal asked, closely examining the footage. Everyone watched M'gaan insert a disc into the main console.

Mal stepped aside as Nightwing walked over to take a look for himself. He started tapping away at the keypad. "I'm going to try and scan the computer and find any files that may be have been copied."

"You can do that?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm going to try." Nightwing vigorously tapped at the keypad, leaning over the console, examining every window that popped up. He did this for a couple of minutes. He then bowed his head in defeat. "Nothing," he sighed in disappointment.

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Batgirl asked.

"I can't find any trace of anything uploaded or taken from the computer's system. Either she didn't do anything, and this is meant to mess with our heads, or the disc had highly encrypted information that I can't decode…at least not here."

"Could we try the Batcave?" she added.

"I wouldn't want to risk copying the hard drive and bringing it there, it could destroy the Batcave's system completely. Since we have no idea what she did exactly, there is unfortunately nothing we can do." He turned around and faced the team. "We're all exhausted, everyone go get some rest. We'll meet up in a couple of hours, and figure this out."

The team dispersed throughout the base. Only Nightwing and Batgirl stayed behind. He was hunched over the console. Batgirl walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"This is my fault," he mumbled.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come with me." He gently pulled her arm and led her to a room, deep within the base. He slammed the door shut. He quickly glanced around, checking for cameras, but there were none in this obscure room of the base.

"What are we doing here?" Barbara asked softly.

"We need the privacy. I'm going to explain to you why this is my fault why M'gaan betrayed us. I suspended her from missions."

"Why would you need to do that?"

"Superboy brought it to my attention that she's been abusing her psychic powers to put people into a catatonic state. She almost did it to Kaldur on their previous mission. Because of that, I suspended her from missions, as per Superboy's suggestion."

"That's terrible. No one deserves catatonia, but why would doing it to Kaldur be such a bad thing?"

Dick took a deep breath. "What I'm about to tell you, I have only shared with three other people. Kaldur did not defect from the team. He is working a deep-cover mission to find out more about the Light and the new partner. Only me, Wally, and Artemis know."

"You mean Artemis…"

"Isn't dead. No…she's with Aqualad."

Batgirl whipped her arm and slapped him square on his right cheek. The sound boomed through the room. He didn't even flinch. His cheek was reddened, and it was even possible to make out a hand mark.

"I deserved that."

"Of course you did, Grayson! This is dangerous and completely stupid! You put Artemis and Aqualad in extremely risky situations, and so far it hasn't seemed to do much for us. If their cover is blown at any point, we could lose them forever. But, that's not why I slapped you. Dick, it's because you didn't trust me enough to tell me this. I've known you for how long? Almost 10 years? Why wouldn't you tell me something like this? You don't have to do everything by yourself you know."

"Wally knows…" he whimpered.

"Wally isn't on the team anymore Dick! Look…I understand you've taken up this leader mantle pretty seriously, but secrets get us nowhere and they get people hurt or killed. Many leaders have-"she was cutoff as he quickly pulled her close to him. She pressed her lips upon his. Barbara tried to pull away at first, but then her body loosened as she gave into him. They parted.

"You're absolutely right, Barb. I can't tell if I've already let everything get so out of hand so fast. With Miss Martian going AWOL, and this under-cover mission, I don't know if I've put everyone at risk. I need to tell the team."

"Wait…the team isn't ready for this much information. They're too young and not used to so much stress so fast. We need to first find Miss M, then try and get Aqualad and Artemis out safely."

"The team will never forgive me. I betrayed their trust." Nightwing sounded completely defeated.

"Given time, they will understand why you made your choices. Regardless, I'll be here for you. Come on, you need your rest Former Boy Wonder."

She leaned towards him and kissed the cheek she had slapped. The redness had gone away. "I'm going to see how Beast Boy is doing. He's probably not taking M'gaan being gone well," Barbara said. She walked away from him. Dick wanted to continue watching the security feed, but he knew Barbara was right; he needed to clear his head.

It was impossible to find her at this point. They could only wait it out and hope she would return. Search parties served useless. She was gone and there was nothing anyone could do. Nightwing was helpless. He needed the tension in the air to dissipate. He went to the living area, switched the TV on, and used the news as a distraction.

Nightwing had been watching the news for nearly an hour, when suddenly a bright red banned flashed upon the screen. A blonde reporter appeared on screen. "Cat Grant here in New York with breaking news. Just recently, the military has been mobilized in response to, what appears to be, an alien vessel currently hovering over the United Nations that arrived about twenty minutes ago."

He jumped up and reached for the nearest com-link he could find and shouted, "Nightwing to team, everyone report to the living room immediately."

In a split second, Impulse rushed in. The rest of the team followed a minute after. "What's going on?  
Cassie asked.

Impulse just pointed at the large screen. Everyone watched the news in silence. The camera panned to the vessel over the UN. From there, a smaller pod descended upon the ground. For a brief second, the camera panned to guns and weapons being drawn as the pod descended.

The camera zoomed in as the pod landed. From there, a large puff of smoke emerged as the door opened. From it, a slender figure walked out, extending both arms about his head. "I mean no harm, I come with peaceful intent," he announced.

"I am the ambassador from a planet known as the Reach. We come to Earth with warning of invasion. There is a planet known as Apokolips, ruled by a being known as Darkseid. He has been ravaging star systems throughout the galaxy in his galactic conquest for complete control. The Reach wants to offer our scientific technology as a peace offering. We will not let the Earth fall to Darkseid. We will unite and the Reach will protect you! People of Earth, the Reach is at your service."

Everyone on the team turned to Nightwing. He looked completely composed. He stood up, and walked out of the room. "Where are you going?" Mal asked.

"Calling the Watchtower." He replied curtly. No one followed him.

He walked up to the console. "Nightwing to Watchtower," he called out.

"This is Captain Atom." Captain Atom's face appeared on the large screen.

"Did you see the news?"

"We have it recorded and are re-watching it on the Watchtower. The League is unsure how to handle this."

"Is the threat credible?"

"I don't know, but I think we've established who the Light's new partner is and we shouldn't trust them at all. Nightwing, zeta to the Watchtower, we need to re-evaluate our strategy. Captain Atom out."

By that time, the team had made their way to the main hall. "I'm going to the Watchtower. If you need me, radio me there. Batgirl and Mal, you're in charge until I get back. Make sure everyone stay in the cave." Nightwing ordered.

He stepped into the zeta-tube chamber, and within seconds he materialized out of the base with the team standing in shock and awe and complete confusion.

* * *

**I hope you liked this chapter! So there are some similarities with my story and the show, but I'm going to make it different I promise! I honestly had this planned out weeks ago, but have been so busy. I really hope you bear with me as I try to write these next few chapters. Please review and let me know what you think of it! - Fire Bender =)**


	13. Chapter 13

**I've been a terrible human being and have neglected this chapter FOR MONTHS! I'm so so sorry to everyone who has been waiting patiently for me to get myself together, but I've been swamped with schoolwork. Once the semester is over, I will bust out the chapters as fast as I can. Please bear with me, and review, subscribe, whatever you want! I hope you enjoy this chapter that took much too long to write.**

* * *

**May 1. 00:05. UTC. Watchtower. **Nightwing arrived at the Watchtower, and was promptly greeted by Captain Atom and Red Tornado. "So what do you think?" Nightwing asked as they approached him.

"I'm not sure how credible the Reach can be, but what can we do about it?" Captain Atom rebuffed. The three walked towards a large computer. Captain Atom turned towards the console, and began searching anything he could use. Images of files, people and planets sprang up quickly as he vigorously typed away.

"Is there anything we can source from any galactic database?"

"Not likely," Red Tornado added, "Hal Jordan is currently off world, and John Stewart is still on Rimbor. We cannot attain much information without the help of the Green Lanterns."

"Understood," Captain Atom acknowledged. "For now, the best thing we can do is to try and maintain a good relationship with the Reach. We cannot force them off Earth, as they do not appear to be a threat, but we don't know their capabilities."

The three turned away and walked toward the large glass window, and stared at the expanses of space.

"Our best bet then is to wait it out?" Nightwing asked.

"As much as I don't like it, there isn't much else we can do. I will try and meet with this ambassador, and try to learn more," Captain Atom concluded. They all turned towards the computer as they heard a loud beeping sound. "Green Lantern to Watchtower," a voice boomed.

Captain Atom, Nightwing and Red Tornado hurried back to the console to see an image of Green Lantern John Stewart appear on screen. "This is Captain Atom," he replied.

"I have news about the Leaguers sent to Rimbor. The trial has ended and we've been allowed to return back to Earth."

"Was there a sentence?"

"It's complicated to explain, but we're on our way back to the Watchtower, we should return in a couple of hours. Green Lantern out." The image closed.

"This is exciting!" Nightwing exclaimed.

"Indeed," Red Tornado added, "The League will now not have to worry about being so limited in terms of available leaguers."

"Which is exactly why them coming back is of somewhat perfect timing," Captain Atom mentioned. "Nightwing, go back to the team and share the news. I'm sure they'd be happy to hear that their some of their mentors have returned."

"Understood, but I first have some private matter to attend to," Nightwing acknowledged. Captain Atom nodded in understanding. Nightwing turned and walked toward the zeta tube chamber. A bright light flashed and within seconds he was gone.

* * *

**May 1. 4:50. EDT. Mount Justice. **Wonder Girl walked through the base while the rest of the team was still asleep. Her insomnia was extremely annoying this night. The halls were quiet and dimly lit. It was peaceful, but with an eerie feel that she had never experienced before.

Her paces were slow, her feet gently tapping the stone floor in a unique rhythm that slightly echoed through the passageways. She passed closed doors, one after another, and it appeared as if she were alone. Cassie released a deep sigh. The emptiness of the hallways felt familiar. She felt empty. Wonder Woman was away on trial, there weren't any female team members her age, and the boy she has a crush on rejected her. Emptiness and loneliness.

She slumped through the corridors, barely guiding her way through dimly lit lights until she say a brightened entry way not too far off. Her curiosity sparked. Her feet picked up a faster rhythm, but her body still limped forward loosely with exhaustion.

'_Sleep Cassie_' she thought to herself, '_You need sleep. Go to your room and sleep._' She shook her head and kept walking toward the sliver of brightness. She progressed forward, taking a few minutes to finally have her hand press against the door. She leaned her ear against the wood; silence but there was a warming feeling. The door slightly opened.

"You can come in," a male voice said. _'That sounded like Connor_,' she thought. Her intuition proved correct. She opened the door and saw Connor sitting in an armchair, surrounded by books. "What are you doing awake?" he asked in a fatherly tone.

"I couldn't sleep," she whispered.

He chuckled, "me neither. Come sit with me." He gestured for her to sit in the armchair besides him. The room was warm, as if illuminated by candlelight, but the fluorescent light bulbs proved that sensory experience to be more imaginary. She slumped in the chair and brought her knees up close to her chest, hugging her pajama pants.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" she asked him.

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that question Cass."

"Yeah I know, but I still felt like asking."

"I appreciate that." An awkward pause between the two. She brushed her palms against her furry pants. They tickled, but in a pleasant way. She began to feel uncomfortable. She leaned forward, extending her legs and wiggled her feet a bit. She let out a deep sigh and pushed herself out of the armchair.

"I'm going to try and get some sleep maybe. You should too Connor," she said in a motherly tone. Her body slowly passed his, and just as she was behind him, there was a tug on her arm.

"Don't go…please," he pleaded softly.

"Connor, I can't keep doing this. It's not fair."

"I haven't been very fair. I'm sorry, but I know how I can make it up to you." He gently pulled her into her lap, cupped her face and gently caressed her lips with his own.

Butterflies filled her stomach and her limbs went numb. For a brief few seconds, she felt as if it were the first time she learned how to fly. A completely new and exhilarating experience, and just like that, the loneliness of her heart had vanished. No longer did she feel heavy, but she felt like a cloud.

Their lips parted and her face was bright red from embarrassment. She looked away from him. "So what did that mean?" she asked innocently.

"It means I like you Cass," he answered.

"But I thought you and Miss M…"

"Everything that's happened between us, it shows me that we're not right for each other. I need someone who listens to me, who genuinely cares and puts everyone before herself."

"You-you like me?"

"Yeah, I do. You've been there for me, and even though I shut you out at first, I realized that I should instead let you in. So long as you'll have me?"

"Honestly…I'll have to think about it. Things have been confusing, and I can't rush into something like this so quickly. Give me time, but I promise; when I make my decision you'll be the first to know. Good night Connor." She stood up and gently kissed his forehead.

As Cassie walked out of the study, her legs glided her body through the hallway. A brief adrenaline rush from emotions quickly faded as her eyelids became heavy. Walking into her room, she flung herself onto her bed and let the lightness of her heart fill her dreams.

Superboy stayed in the study, to think. His eyelids, starting to feel heavy, started to droop, and he sunk into the armchair. _What did I do_? He thought, with slight regret. _Do I really want to be with Cassie, or am I turning into M'gaan, and making Cassie my rebound-girl. It's not fair to her. It's not…fair…_His eyelids shut, and finally, he was able to sleep for what had seemed like days for him.

* * *

**May 1. 2:15. Palo Alto. PST.** Nightwing stalked the roofs of the many houses that decorated the Palo Alto suburb streets. It felt comfortable, going back to his roots of moving in the shadows. Being in the cave sapped that adrenaline rush that he lived for. His time in Blüdhaven was scarce as team leader. His commitments were spread thin, but his side mission was just enough to be enjoyable.

He dropped down to the backyard of one of the wood-paneled home. Though uncustomary, he knocked on the back door. He waited several moments, and the door finally opened for him. "Hi Wally," he greeted quietly.

"Dick? What are you doing here?" Wally asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Can I come inside?"

"Yeah sure…this better be good if you're waking me up so early in the morning. I have classes and junk tomorrow."

"I know Wally, but this is important. We need to meet up with Kaldur and Artemis. There are some things we all need to sort out. Are you in?"

"I get to see my girlfriend? Of course, I'm in. Where are we meeting them?"

"In Blüdhaven. It's still under the radar, and only one person knows I have an HQ there."

"Let me guess…Batgirl?"

Nightwing smirked, as Wally gently nudged his side, "You dog. Is everything okay? It didn't seem part of the plan that there would be intermittent meetings…did something happen?!

"No Wally, nothing happened. I think we should all make sure that we have…control of the situation."

"Alright, that's fine. When are we meeting them?"

"In an hour. Get dressed and let's go."

* * *

**If you thought this chapter was terrible, please let me know. Again I'm so sorry that I haven't been a good writer, but I will do my best, once school ends in a few weeks. I have papers and exams and I just want to sleep forever. Please let me know what you think, or just review to yell at me for not publishing for frequently. I deserve that. - Fire Bender =)**


	14. Chapter 14

**After months of neglect and lack of inspiration, I have finally found the inspiration to write a new chapter. I am so sorry it's taken me this long to do it, but I hope you enjoy this! Also, tomorrow is this story's BIRTHDAY! It's going to be one year old, and still unfinished -_- but I will get there. So long as there are people reading, I will keep on writing!**

* * *

**May 1. 5:45. ETC. Blüdhaven. **The city of Blüdhaven was rarely dark at night. Similar to the neighboring metropolis of Gotham, crime never slept here either. But there wasn't a Batman to keep watchful eye. Nightwing had previously devoted a large chunk of his career to this city. He believed he could fix it, but coming back to the Team as leader slashed the commitment he had made to this struggling city. He could no longer provide the attention it needed, but despite being far away from it, Nightwing still called Blüdhaven home.

Nightwing and the former Kid Flash had been waiting in Dick Grayson's personal lair for a few hours. On occasion, the two would strike up casual conversation, but the boys' friendship had been strained. Business related decisions had created rifts in their relationship. When Wally tried to pry information from his best friend, Dick's answers were relatively short, or completely cryptic. He often gave the response, "you'll find out soon Wally."

After some time, Wally lost his patience. Dick had been furiously typing on his computer, seated in a semi-comfortable chair, hunched over the keyboard. The clicking persisted the entire time they were there. Wally lounged on one of the couches that were lying around. He had to keep himself busy, but Dick being the excellent conversationalist that he was, Wally found that hard to do. "Look, if you're going to drag me across the country to hang out, that's fine; but don't make promises about seeing Artemis! You know I'm still uneasy about her doing what she's doing!" he shouted.

"Wally, I understand you're worried, but be patient. They should be here soon," Nightwing assured.

"And how do you know Kaldur even got the message to come here?"

"I just do."

"Really Dick…that's your answer? You just do? What is that, some kind of bat-instinct?" Wally remarked snidely.

"He received a message on the same frequency once before, I'm sure it will work again."

"You better hope it does," the red haired teenager muttered under his breath.

Another thirty minutes past and Wally was ready to get up and leave Blüdhaven and head back to Palo Alto. He started to pace around the room until he heard a door crack. Nightwing turned his chair around quickly and hopped out. "Stay on your guard," he said smoothly.

"Why? I thought this place was secret." Wally answered.

"It is, but you can never be too cautious."

"Whatever." Wally mockingly assumed an excuse of a fighting stance. He was still lax as he usually was. The sound of a pair of footsteps echoed that small corridors of Nightwing's lair and two shadowed figures emerged into the light.

Wally dashed towards one at lightning speed, picking the figure up and embracing her. He pulled Artemis into a passionate embrace and kiss. It had been months since the two had seen each other, and it had felt like years apart. "I've missed you so much," Wally whispered into her ears.

"Me too Wally, just hold me, please." Artemis sighed and that he did.

The second figure was none other than Kaldur'ahm. He approached Nightwing and extended his arm out. Nightwing grasped his hand and gave a firm handshake. "It is good to see you my friend," Kaldur said proudly.

"It's good to see you too, especially alive," Dick remarked.

"Come, we have many things to discuss."

"Yes we do. We can leave them, they deserve some time together." Dick and Kaldur walked towards Nightwing's computer, leaving Artemis and Wally in the small shadowy corridors. Nightwing pulled out the chair to his computer and vigorously resumed typing.

"So this is what we know, based on what has been televised. The Reach is claiming that they are here to help Earth combat the threat from Apokolips. We've dealt with Darkseid in the past, but Superman was usually around to put him in his place. With the six Leaguers on trial at Rimbor, if this is true, Earth would be defenseless. Now those Leaguers are returning back to Earth soon…"

Kaldur interrupted him, "They are?"

"Yes. I was on the Watchtower recently and received a transmission that they are on their way home, but I have no idea how their trial went. Why? Were they not supposed to?"

"I am unsure. Although I have now become acquainted with the members of the Light, as well as the Reach ambassador, I am still in the dark about the Light's true intentions."

"Well at least you are making progress."

"Indeed, but I wish I could be of greater assistance."

"Don't worry Kaldur, I'll figure something out to make sure that the Reach's statements are true. However, the people of Earth may be so easily frightened that the Reach will easily be able to carry out their own agendas with ease. The League can't do much to deter the people from following the Reach, due to an unfavorable image courtesy of the media."

"You will figure it out though, I have no doubt. Is that all?"

"No Kaldur…there's more." Dick's voice became cold. He turned around and stood up from his chair. He then forcefully pushed Kaldur back.

"What going on?" Kaldur asked loudly.

"Why is M'gaan breaking into the cave's computer? What can you tell me about Miss M" Dick shouted.

Kaldur let out a deep sigh. "After she and Superboy had infiltrated my ship and she attacked me, I reported to my father about what had happened. He was intrigued by her psychic abilities and ordered that I convince her to join the team. I could not disobey."

"Fine, that explains why she is missing, but what did she do to the computer?"

"I do not know. I have no knowledge of what materials were on the disc. She may have installed something, she may have taken something out, but I cannot tell you exact details."

"I'm not mad that you followed orders. I just wish that things didn't turn out this way. I drove her into your arms in some respect."

"How so?"

"I had suspended her from missions after Connor had reported back to me on what she had done to you. If she had put you in a coma, it would be my fault. Or she could've found out about this secret undercover op."

"You worry too much. Let's be thankful that we're all still alive. We will meet again soon once more light can be shed on this situation. I will try and keep Miss Martian on close watch, but I can't speak against my father. You want me to keep this operation going, some sacrifices must be made."

"I understand. Thank you for coming. Please get back safely. I'll radio you again once I learn more. Goodbye Kaldur." Nightwing said understandingly. He hated putting his friends in danger, but deep down, he was thankful that his friends had his back and supported him.

Kaldur and Nightwing walked back to Artemis and Wally, who had not moved from the spot they were first standing in. The corridor was darkened, but the two were still hugging and kissing romantically. "It's time to go Artemis," Kaldur announced calmly.

Wally let her go and after one last kiss, Kaldur and Artemis headed back to Black Manta's headquarters, somewhere in the many dark abysses of the ocean. Soon, once again, Wally and Dick were alone.

"How did it go?" Wally asked in a monotone voice.

Dick sighed deeply, "Not as well as I had hoped. I'm having second thoughts about this, about everything Wally."

"I'm sorry Dick, but it's too late to turn back now. You're far too deep into it."

"You're right, but I just hope it's all worth it."

"Don't worry, it will be. Besides, I will always have your back, and so will Batgirl," Wally said playfully while elbowing Dick's ribcage.

Nightwing chuckled, "Come on, let's get you back home so you can get to class. I'm going to head up to the Watchtower. Hopefully I can figure something out from here."

The two headed back to the nearest zeta-tube. Wally beamed himself back home, just in time for class. Nightwing went elsewhere.

* * *

**May 1. 6:55. UTC. Watchtower.** "Recognized, Nightwing, B01," boomed the computer. Nightwing materialized and approached Captain Atom, standing by the main console. "Have they arrived yet?" Nightwing asked.

"Yes, we're here," a voice called from afar. And with that a group of six emerged from the corner. Nightwing walked up to Batman, looking at his mentor with a smiling face. "It's good to see you," Batman said, slightly smiling.

"Haven't seen you smile in a while," Nightwing joked.

"I have a new sense of humor, now let's get down to business. What are we going to do about the Reach?"

"There's nothing we can do really," Captain Atom interjected, "The United Nations has accepted their presence, and we can't forcefully kick them out."

"That's right," added John Stewart, "The Reach is a problem according to Oa, but since Earth has welcomed the Reach, the Green Lantern Corps can't do anything about it."

"Then you know what we will do," Nightwing stated, "we'll go straight to the source of the problem."

"Go to Apokolips?" Wonder Woman asked in a worried tone.

"Not Apokolips," Batman stated, "But New Genesis. Nightwing, make a small team to send to New Genesis. You're going with them. Take two or three other members with you. We'll send you to New Genesis where you will meet with Orion and High Father. They will tell you if Apokolips is really a threat."

"Will any League members be going with us?" Nightwing asked.

"Unfortunately, as a result of the trial, no League members are allowed in any part of the galaxy. We're been barred from intergalactic travel. The only exceptions are the Green Lanterns, but other than that, the members of the League are grounded to Earth," Superman explained.

"It's up to you and the Team to sort out this Reach situation. I know you can handle it." Batman stated placing a hand on Nightwing's shoulder.

"I'll do my best," Nightwing answered.

"I wouldn't expect anything otherwise," Batman replied.

* * *

**This chapter was mainly one sided, but I think it was crucial to have in my plot. I hope you like it! Review, subscribe, and please be patient! I'll do my best! It also doesn't help that I lost my outline... Have a great day! - Fire Bender**


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